


The Virtue Alchemist

by AgentJinkazu05



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003)
Genre: Envy meets his match, F/M, First time tagging, Many other character, Rewritten while story progress, mostly enemy wise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2018-10-29 13:16:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10854765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentJinkazu05/pseuds/AgentJinkazu05
Summary: Kindness Virgo, a virtuemine and a state alchemistKindness always knew her and her little sister, Patience were never normal growing up. Being a shapeshifter was the main one. Driven by her ambition to know what they are, Kindness goes on a long, aggravating adventure through the military and Central Millennium Academy. But things get complicated when they get tied into the Elric Brother's affairs with the philosopher's stone. Difficult when you throw in a homicidal palm tree.





	1. EP 1- Those Who Take Goodness For Granted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the city of Liore, While the Elric brothers and Patience are on the Cornello situation. Kindness is on her own mission to find a man by the name of Hans Heinsohn.

  
  


_A ten-year-old girl by the name of Kindness with black shoulder hair and bright green eyes finishes drawing the transmutation circle on the floor and steps back out of it._

_"Big Sis are you sure this will work?" a four-year-old girl by the name of  Patience with black hair in pigtails and bright green eyes, asks as she stands a little farther back from the transmutation circle. A little cautious and getting an eerie feeling from it._

_"Of course it will work, I've got all the calculations right and it looks exactly like the drawing." Kindness says confidently as she places a couple of glasses bottles in the middle of the circle and backs out it once again. Kindness kneels down by the circle, and rubs her hands together she looks at Patience and gives a smile._

_"Don't worry it'll be fine. I'm not gonna get hurt." Kindness then places her hands on the circle and it starts to lowly glow a yellow-white light before shining brightly. Both Kindness and Patience smile, as Patience laughs a little in excitement. Until..the light turns a dangerous purple._

_"B-big Sis, what's going on?" Patience asks in a scared voice as she backs up further._

_"I-I don't know, maybe it's part of the_ transmuta _-" A sudden big blast of air caused Kindness to stop talking and Patience to be blown back into a wall being knocked out and blew out all the candles making the room dark._

_Patience wakes up and coughs then looks around. She stands up, shakily and walks forward to where the circle was._

_"B-Big Sis, where are_ yo _-" Patience stops and shivers when her bare footsteps into a wet puddle, she looks down and sees the puddle and it looks darker and thicker than water, there wasn't even any water in the room before. "B-B-Blood?"_

_"That Bastard! It hurts!" Patience jumps and looks up to see in the dark her sister kneeling over clutching her chest and bleeding really badly._

_Patience screams loudly._

~Liore's Library, Liore~

 

(Kindness- 16 years old, Patience- 10 years old)

 

"Pssst...Pssst, Big Sisss" Patience pokes Kindness in the side "Waaaake up" she pokes again and all she gets is a groan in response. The black haired girl with blue tips simply rolls over on the piles of books she had fallen asleep on. Patience pouts, for a girl who claims she 'stays on her toes' she sleeps very heavy, even on hardcover books. But there was only one method to get her up.

 

"There's cake outside~." Patience simply says with a smug smile.

 

"Cake?! Where?!" Kindness then shoots up awake but then starts holding her back, she sat up way to fast for her body's liking. "Owww....my back hurts now.”

 

"You was sleeping on a pile of books, Big Sis. Oh, by the way, there is no cake~" Patience puts her hand over her mouth to quiet her giggles as she runs out of the library, knowing what Kindness will do. Everyone who knew Kindness knew to never joke about cake, never. Kindness sits there for a while to process everything then frowns and starts getting up to chase after Patience.

 

"Patience! I will choke you! How dare you joke about Cake!?"

 

~ Almost an hour of chasing and hitting later~

 

Patience rubs the 'bump' on her head as she follows behind Kindness, looking at the teal school uniform shirt with a black past the knee skirt and a black armband that had gold stripes with a gold star, slightly watching her black and blue hair in a ponytail swish slightly. Patience pulls the purple shirt she was wearing with her red shorts and black gloves over her head to soothe the pain on her head.

 

"Big Siiiiis, why did you have to hit me so hard on the head?" Patience whines and pouts. "I think I have a bump on my head now." She pulls the shirt over her eyes to dramatize the situation.

 

Kindness reaches behind herself and pulls the shirt down from over Patience's eyes without looking back. Hey, Kindness has been practically raising her little sister almost like a daughter for three years, she developed a few "I don't need my eyes to see you" tricks over those years.

 

"Stop that you're gonna stretch out your shirt. And I don't want you trying to fix it with alchemy..again. I didn't even hit you that hard, even if I did hit hard enough to leave a bump. You'll heal so fast it will look like a bump was never there to begin with." Kindness turns a corner as Patience was trying to fix her shirt. Patience follows Kindness around the corner as she saw a huge crowd of people.

 

"Hey, you hit very hard! And it would be a big bump," Patience points to Kindness backside. "Like your ass!" Kindness slowly turns her head to look at Patience with an irritated expression as an anime tick mark appeared. Patience gulps as she realized she made a really bad move.

 

"Look, I know you and Funsize just looooove my ass so much you use it in comparison to big things. But for the last time, Stop using my ass to support your argument!" Kindness yells as a few people look in their direction as Patience shivers in fear a little, her sister name may be 'Kindness' but sometimes she might as be called 'Fear' altogether.

 

Kindness huffs then wrinkled her nose as she picks up a very familiar scent. Metal, sweat, oil, metal, the smell of natural 15-year-old boy, despair...they're here!

 

"Pati, how about you go hang with Funsize and Al while I'll go do my assignment." Kindness points in the direction of where the scent came from which is where the crowd was. She walks past Patience but not before Patience ask her a few questions.

 

"But why can't I come with you?!" Patience says in a demanding tone, as to why her sister won't let her come with her. She usually does any other time.

 

"Because it might be dangerous." Kindness sighs and simply says as she turns to look at Patience. She didn't know why she didn't want to take Patience with her, something just told her not too.

 

"B-But you took me on even more dangerous assignments then this one, so why this one different?" Damn, she got Kindness on that one, she has taken Patience on more dangerous missions. Like that one in the mountains...

 

Kindness mentally shakes that thought away and sighs. She then smoothes out Patience's black with blue tipped hair that was in a braid.

 

"Because..something is telling me not take you. And it's not the stone either, just a feeling." Kindness tells her the real reason in which Patience blinks in confusion but decides to just drop it at this point.

 

 "Okay, I'll wait for you with Al and Eddy. But you owe me some candy afterward" Patience runs off in the direction Kindness pointed her in, Kindness smiles and turns around to head in the opposite direction. She laughs a little when she hears the familiar greeting the Patience specifically gives Ed every time she sees him and one that will never get old.

 

"Kneeback~!" Patience runs and jumps up, straight up plunders her knee into Ed's back.

 

"Gah! Damn you little devil spawn!"

 

~Somewhere in the underground catacombs of Liore~ (Kindness's POV)

 

Walking through gallons beyond gallons of sewage is something I'll never get used too. Blood, stomach aches, Jizen, Ed's "Don't call me short" rants are things I'm used too. But gallons of sewage full of crap, trash, and probably alligators? Nope never.

 

Something told me to wear my black stockings and boots but noooooo Chas said "it will be more comfortable and the fight might be up ground so wear white ones instead of black with flats"...I'll get him back someday.

 

I continued trudging through the sewage until I get to the part of the sewer where they have those concrete like sidewalks on the side of the walls.

 

"Yes! Something I can walk on that won't have crap on it." I climb up on the concrete walkways and take off my shoes and deposit the water that was in them. "Yeah never wearing these again." After everything got drained I walk down the walkways and followed where it leads me.

 

It leads me to a huge room that had multiple archways, the ones you see at cemetery tombs. They looked they could hold bodies, probably have some in here from the alligators.

 

"Woah, this definitely looks like a place a criminal would run through," I comment as I walk to the center and turn around at a complete circle. "Helllooooooo?! Hans Heinsohn?! Are you here sir?!" Why would I tell that out? It's not like he's gonna show up and say 'Hey I'm here!'

 

"What do you want little girl? Wait how did you even get down here?" Wow, I didn't actually think he would respond. I turn around to see a man who looked to be in his 30s with slightly tanned skin with brown hair that is awkwardly across his face and he was blind out of his right eye. How can I tell? There's a scar going over his right eye and its white unlike the left eye which is hazel, plus his description was in the file back at school.

 

I smiled brightly, you have no idea how long it took me to finally figure out his location, well the city he was in, not exactly in the sewers, lucky guess. "Ah~! Mr. Heinsohn, I'm so glad I found you, took me a while to finally isolate your location to be here in Loire."

 

"Who sent you? Was it the military? Millennium?" Hans asks defensively.

Well, at least he acknowledges that he did do something to at least one of them that he wasn't supposed to do.

 

"Mr. Heinsohn. It was both the military and CM that sent me here, the same person but for two different reasons." I hold up two fingers. "The military sent me because you seem to have taken an important document, being transported by an officer, Luckily the guy is all right," I muttered the last part then shake my head. "I've come to retrieve it!" I smile confidently

 

"Like hell, I'm giving the document to you." Guess I gotta use force. "And besides, why did CM send you?" I hum a little at that question.

 

"Now that's where the second reason comes in, CM.." I tap the gold and black armband on my arm. "...sent me not to retrieve anything from, not to beat the living crap out of you to get information about something you know.  They sent me here.." I jab a thumb into my chest. "For my personal vendetta." That's right my personal, not vendetta but more of like quest. But vendetta sounds much cooler.

 

"Now~!" I clap my hands and walks toward him. "We can do this the easy way or hard way. Either way, I'm getting my information. You can just tell me now, peacefully or I can a beat you up and get what I came-"

 

*BANG*

 

As soon as I heard that sound, I put a hand on my stomach. Why does my stomach hurt? I didn't eat any cake today, at least not yet. I was planning to get some after this mission. And why does my stomach feel wet-ohhh I've been shot. I look at Hans and noticed he had a gun out pointed at me, I didn't even notice he...had...a..gun dammit!

 

"Like you could hurt someone, you try to play Ms. Intimidation, but honestly you kindly vibe ruins it. Makes you seem like the naive girl who thinks everything will go her way if she asks nicely, you are also very annoying and CM probably sent you so that you'll get killed off." Hans raises the gun again. "So I'll do them a favor and get rid of you." He fires his gun a few more times.

*BANG**BANG**BANG**BANG*

I scream out this time as the bullets hit my stomach and chest this time. I fall to my knees and sit there holding my stomach. Why did my name have to be Kindness? Obviously, my kindness is what gets me shot. I slump over as my world starts to go dark, I'm dying. I mentally sigh, I'm gonna be so sore.

 

(No-one POV)

Kindness lays there dead slumped over still bleeding. Hans laughs a little to himself.  "Such a shame, she seemed so much like a nice girl.”

 

"I'll give her credit," Hand starts walking towards the hallway to leave. "We can do this the easy way or hard way. Either way, I'm getting my information." Hans quotes what Kindness says then laughs a little. "She was obviously bluffing."

 

"I wasn't *coughs* bluffing, Mr. Heinsohn." Hans stops in his steps as he hears the voice of a girl he swore was dead. Hans turns to see Kindness slowly standing up and coughing heavily. The next he heard was the sound of metal hitting the ground, on the floor was a ton of blood and the bullets mixed right in with it.

 

Kindness wipes the blood away from her mouth as she cracks her back, she laughs a little. "From your answer of shooting me at least four times, I have realized what way you wanna go.."

 

Kindness starts walking towards Hans, (1)blue reptilian scales appear upward and over her body, shifting away the school uniform and now replaced with something completely different. Now she was wearing a black sleeveless crop top and black shorts and anything that would have been exposed was covered with a blue sheer like material, attached to the black clothes. Instead of flats now she was wearing black boots and black gloves.

 

"You wanna go the hard way." Kindness says very darkly.

 

"T-that watch..your a state alchemist?!" Kindness darken expression seem to diminish as she looks slightly confused then looks at the silver watch that she sometimes had at her hip.

 

"Ah I almost forgot about that," Kindness smiles shyly then anime sweat drops then shakes it off. "I'm Kindness Virgo~! At CM" She quickly shifts the armband on her arm then points. "I'm just known as my full name or shifter. But to the military," She shifts the band away and points to the watch. "I'm Kindness Virgo, The Spirit Shifter Alchemist~! But you Mr. Heinsohn, today..." Kindness points at him and smiles sweetly but then was so much darkness deeper in that smile.

 

**"You will know me as Kindness~"**

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Think of Mystique's shifting process from X-Men


	2. EP 2-Little Distractions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We continue off with Kindness's pursuit on Hans. On this we start to learn a little more information on Kindness and why she suddenly turns so interested in some stone.

Hans frowns at that statement. She obviously wasn't human and was probably dangerous to go with. He needed some type of distraction so he could get away.

 

"My answer is still no, but I'm sure there are some friends who would love to go with you." Hans then raised his right hand which showed the ring he was wearing with a white stone on it. He places it on the stone ground of the sewers and a blue light shines, a transmutation. And what appeared was about 12 different sized wolves made from stone, rises up and started circling Kindness. Kindness looks around at the wolfs surrounding her, such wonderful creations.

 

_ 'Ooooooohhh a piece of a Truth stone. I knew he had something I want.' _ Kindness spreads her legs out slightly as she gets into a fighting stance. "Hans once I get out of this. You're gonna tell me-" Kindness looks up and in the direction where Hans was, keyword ‘was’. Hans wasn't there anymore, as he was currently running down one of the hallways. The stone wolfs growl as they move more forward towards Kindness.

 

_ 'Greeeeat He left, this just isn't my day. I wonder how Ed, Al, and Pati are doing.' _

 

_ ~Meanwhile with Ed, Al, and Patience~ _

 

_ "Look Ed! That bird was just dead and now IT'S ALIVE! Miracles!" _

 

_ "It's not miracles, it's alchemy and he's probably using a philosopher stone." _

 

_ "....I knew that." _

 

_ "Al your losing your head! Literally." Patience picks up Al's helmet and holds it up to Al. "Here you go." _

 

_ "Thank you Patience" _

 

_ "Down kitty, bird-legged, lizard thing! I'm not a very appetizing short person!" Patience claps her hands and placed it on the ground. Ghost-like hands rise up, bringing up a giant stone fist with them, punching the chimera and redirecting it.  _

 

_ *getting shot at*  _

 

_ 'We're gonna die! we're gonna die! we're gonna die! We're gonna die! Close call my butt!'  _

_ *being blocked by the wall*  _

 

_ 'We're gonna live~! We're gonna live~! We're gonna liiiiiiiive~!'  _

 

_ *getting shot at...again*  _

 

_ "We're gonna die again! We're gonna die again! We're gonna die again!"  _

 

_ *escaping death for the 500th time*  _

 

_ "Running for our lives now! Run! Run! As fast as you can! If you wanna escape the crazy killing priest." _

 

~Back with Kindness~

 

Kindness shrugs  _ 'Eh probably better than me.' _

One small sized stone wolf comes charging at her first, silly really. Kindness quickly shifts her arm into a mallet and hits the stone wolf, immediately breaking it. Kindness unshifts her arm.

 

"Sorry little guy, but I really don't wanna fight. I need to get my target of information." Kindness says kinda sadly. A stone wolf, this time medium-sized, charges up and jumps up behind her. Kindness quickly turns around and grabs it by the neck. "Now you, I don't feel sorry, Did you all hear what I said?...." She throws the wolf down to the ground with so much force, it breaks. "Ahh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to break you."

 

The stone wolves picked up by now they can't attack her separately, so they all charge her at once. Kindness roundhouse kicks two small wolves and spins around in time to kick a medium sized wolf back, right into few more medium and small ones. One large stone wolf who towered over her dives down to bite her. "Yikes!" Kindness quickly ducks and rolls out the way, she rolls into a squatting position with one of her hands on the ground. "A big one now? Okay, big guy." she stands up and runs charging up to it, she jumps up and kicks it full force in the jaw. It's mouth breaks and the wolf falls down.

 

Kindness uses the large stone wolf's body before it fell down. She jumps off it to the other large wolf. She brings down a kick from upwards on its head, then grabs its head and drives her knee into its head, crushing it. She hops out of it before it crashes to the ground and lands on a clear space on the floor.

 

The rest of the stone wolves come charging at her. Kindness huffs and claps her hands and places them on the ground. A blue light flashes in places the wolves were and ghost-like hands appear, bringing up multiple fists to punch each of the wolves crushing the remaining wolves. 

 

"I really need to hold back my strength and alchemy. Can never perfect that even after- OW!" Kindness looks down to see a very tiny stone wolf biting at her leg, making it bleed. "Awwww~! Aren't you adorable" She bends down and plucks the tiny wolf off her leg, which you could see blue glowing lines go around the place of the injury then disappear.

 

"I think I will keep you, even if you did bite my leg but you're only a baby. Tiny could use a friend when we get home." Kindness shifts the red cape she usually wears with her outfit and takes it off, she wraps the little wolf in the cape then claps her hand and places them on the ground. The ghost hands appear again and push down into the ground to create a not too deep hole, Kindness places the wolf in the hole. "Now you stay here while I'll go get my information." Kindness smiles and pats the cape with the wolf in it then runs down the hallway Hans went down.

 

"Ugh! He could have gotten to the surface and left town by now." Kindness has been walking around in the dark for a while now looking for Hans. "Why didn't I just transmute a bunch of fists from the beginning and crush all the wolves in one go? Ugh so stupid." She slaps her hands against her face a few times in frustration.

 

*CLANK*

 

Kindness quickly turns around to look behind her. "Ah ha~! I've got you Ha- huh?" Kindness didn't see him or even the outline of a body figure. That's weird considering she just came from back there and search every corner and crack back there. Unless someone already placed it there and wanted it to fall in order to create...a diversion! Crap!

Kindness quickly turns around to face what she knew would come up behind her but she was already too deep in thought from before and was knocked across the head. Kindness falls to the ground and darkness surrounds her mind.

 

~The Next day~

 

Kindness slowly starts to wake up. "Ugggghhh, how long was I out for?" Kindness blinks as she takes a look at her surroundings, she was in the big clearing she was at in the beginning. 

 

"Ugh, my head is killing me." Kindness reaches up to hold her head but finds she can't move her arms. She looks down to see that her arms were behind her back and could feel that her wrist was tied by chains. Hm wonderful, she should break these now or laaaater?....her head is killing her right now, so later.

 

"If you're working for the military," Kindness looks up the voice of Hans and sees him standing in front of her, he was flipping through a manila folder. "Then I guess you're looking for this."

 

Kindness tilts her head to the side to look at the symbol on the folder, she sees the sign of the military on it. "Yes that's the folder, but I'll get back to that in a moment." She looks at his hand which had the ring on it. "Could you possibly tell me where you got that stone from? The one on your ring." Hans lifts his hand up to look at the ring on his finger.

 

"You mean this? Oh, a few friends I know gave it to me. Said that it was from some sort of science experiment, on a very powerful stone. Does a lot of wonders," Hans reaches out to a metal pipe with his hand and a blue light glows. Hans pulls his hand back to reveal he transmuted a gun out a chunk of the pipe. "Surprising how much power can come from a little piece of stone, isn't it?"

 

Kindness nods and straightens up. "Yes it is, one more question, you wouldn't mind telling me the name of this science experiment that your 'friends' got this stone from?" Kindness asks almost tiredly, she was silently hoping it wasn't THAT experiment, cause if it was…

 

"Sure I might as well, since if I shot you," Hans closed the folder and points the gun at the area where her heart was. "You will die, you won't stay dead I know that. But you'll stay down long enough for me to escape."

 

'Why didn't you just escape when I was knocked out? You know what, these criminals aren't that bright when it comes to escape plans and I should know better.' Kindness thinks as she looks at the gun. "The name of the science experiment was, Blue Virtue. Now if you are done with your questions-.”

 

Kindness sighs "Yes, yes I'm done." She already knew the answer to the question she asked. It was the only explanation as to how he got a piece of the stone, a real one at that. "Thank you for answering my questions," Kindness stands up which cause Hans to back up. Kindness pulls her wrists apart causing the chains to break, thank god her head wasn't trying to assassinate her anymore. "But me and you should really be getting to CM." 

 

Before Hans could blink, he was on the ground, coughing and holding his neck from being chopped in the neck. "Because really in CM's view," Hans hears the gun click, he turns to face Kindness direction and is faced with her and a gun to the slight side of his forehead. "You're a homework assignment that needs to be tuned in. But in my view.....you're now a person who has my stone." 

 

*BANG*

 

~Up ground, at a phone booth~

 

*RIIIING**RIIIING**RIIIIING* 

 

"Come on, come on, I know you're sitting at your desk." Kindness was standing in the phone booth, holding the ringing phone up with the Manila folder underneath her arm as she inspects the small white stone. She had tied her red cape as a baby sling with the tiny stone wolf inside the sling across her chest, a bad idea really. The wolf was sitting in that hole for a day and it already didn't like her, it really didn't like her now for leaving it in a hole for a long time. 

 

*RIIIIING* *RIII-* 

 

_ "Hello Central Millennium High School's main office, how may I help you?" A male almost emotionless voice answers. _

 

"Diligence Hey~! It's Kindness, I finished my assignment.” Kindness smiles and silently 'ow' at the nipping and biting at her chest.

 

_ "Oh Kindness It’s you, that's great you finished your assignment. I assume you didn't have any trouble did you?" _

 

"Nope, no trouble at all, a piece of cake." Kindness smiles. 

 

_ ".....You had trouble didn't you?" _

 

"Yeah, I did." Kindness smile drops and she looks down. "Please don't tell that diamond tea sucking chick."

 

_ "I won't. I would like to stay as far away from you and Jizen rivalry as far as possible. What happened with Mr. Hans Heinsohn?" _

 

"Oh! I took you um shooting suggestion from before and shoot him in that place in the head where it knocks him out...somehow," Kindness slips her hand in the sling and rubs the tiny wolf's ears hoping to calm him down from biting, it didn't. "Owowowowow. He's down in the sewers in Loire. I guess you're gonna send someone to handle that?"

 

_ "Yes, I will come and get him. You can return back home now. Chastity expects to see you in class soon." Diligence hangs up and Kindness hangs up the phone as well. _

 

(Kindness Pov)

Now that my mission is done, I can go home, take a bath, and sleep like no tomorrow. But first, to celebrate this...sweets, I'm feeling the taste for a little bit of cake. About a whole bakery's worth will do-

 

"OW! Okay, little guy, your gonna have to stop biting me." I walk out of the phone booth and walk down the stone road, going to find Pati, Al, and Ed. "You pack a mighty bite for such a little- Ow!" I pull the sling slightly away from my chest to see the little stone wolf looking up at me, with those now that I noticed yellow eyes almost glaring at me. I look at my chest to see some blood seep through the black leather top of my suit, at the same time blue light starting appearing and healing it. The little guy has a temper and lashes out, I wonder.....

 

"I know in the beginning you were biting me because of defense. But now I think you're biting me because of the words in using to describe you. You Tiny, little, cu- OW!" I puff my cheeks out as my face turns red. "You hate being called little- ow! tiny- ow! short-ow! Okay okay, stop it!" I take the stone wolf out by the scruff of its neck, avoiding getting bit. "I just thought of a name for you, and it's perfect for you.” I switch the sling around to my back and place the tiny stone wolf in the sling so now he was on my back, not like it would stop the biting but at least it's not near my stone anymore.

 

"You remind me of a friend of mine. Who doesn't like behind called any word pertaining to small." I smile and snaps my fingers. "Hey! That’s what I can name you after. From here on out little- ow! guy. I will name you Eddy."

 

I felt no movement at first then I felt something rough and wet, almost like an unpolished wet stone on my back, and it was long too like a snake......I think he just licked me. I giggled that must be a good sign. "I guess you like that name."

  
  
  



	3. EP 3-Butterfly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a little more background on Kindness and Patience's past (which will continue on until chap 9)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might be slight gore later in the chapter

(Kindness- 16 years old, Patience-10 years old)

 

(Kindness Pov) 

 

I was sitting outside the local library that Ed, Al, and Patience were inside, looking for information on the stone. I didn't go in since I've already been in there, plus I wanna eat my sweets in peace. Eddy was sitting next to me, chewing on the stone I got him as I was eating a piece of cake with the top part of my suit was unzipped enough to show my whole neck and part of my collarbone. 

 

"You know me and you are some lucky pair. I could have crushed you if you were with the other wolves, and I would have been dead if Hans had pulled the trigger a few centimeters below my collarbone," I say mindlessly to Eddy as I look up at the sky and as I tap below the middle of my collarbone, right where the cleavage is. 

 

"But here we are, healing, and eating cake and stones. I forgive you for biting me over a thousand times, I mean I can't stay mad at a cutie like you forever." I look at Eddy, as he continues to chew on his stone. I giggle, then I look at the corner of my eye and saw something bright blue and flying. I look up at the sky and see the bright blue creature clearly now. 

 

"A blue butterfly," I put down my cake and hold out my empty hand very still, in a few minutes the blue butterfly flew down and landed in my still hand. I slowly bring my hand closer to my face. "I haven't seen a blue beauty like you since I was a kid. I mean you're in every one of my memories." 

 

_ -That is true, in all of my memories they were always a butterfly in them. Whether the butterfly was real or not, there was always a butterfly-  _

 

_ (Kindness- 7 yrs old,  Patience- 1 yr old)  _

 

_ 1905  _

 

A 7-year-old Kindness, with black hair that reached her shoulders. She trudges up the grassy hill, trying to reach the top where Ed, Al, and Winry were located. Kindness finally reaches the top and blows a strand of her black hair out her face then brushes the dirt off her knees. 

 

"Sorry it took me a while to get here," Kindness stands straight up and puts her hands on her hips then smiles. "Climbing this hill is very tiring." 

 

"Or maybe you're just slow and old." Ed teases in which Kindness responds with patting his head.

 

"Oh shush, Funsize" Kindness teases back, using the nickname she titled to him and will forever be stuck with him. 

 

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING-?" 

 

"Kindy, what is it you wanna show us?" Winry asks curiously, cutting off Ed's rant, purposely to change the subject and not wanting to hear him rant on about his height

. 

"Yeah, you also said it had to do with your shapeshifting," Al said. 

 

_ -Growing up the only friends I had besides my sister were Edward, Alphonse, and Winry. Most kids or all of them found me a freak. It makes sense, a girl who can shapeshift and then later have a little sister who can merge with materials, yeah that fits the description of a freak. But they didn't find me a freak, seeing my abilities at first, yes it was freaky but later on, they became...curious about them. Like I have been all my life.- _

 

"Yes and Yes! I have finally figure out the one and only thing human beings always wanted to do." Kindness points up at the sky, which causes the trio to look up too. There was a flock of birds flying by. 

 

"No way! You're gonna fly?!" Winry asks in excitement. 

 

"Like an actual bird?!" Al also asks with excitement. 

 

"Or Better yet a dragon!" Ed adds. 

 

_ -They always found some amazement and excitement in my shapeshifting. My shapeshifting was like alchemy in a way, there was always something new and undiscovered about it, which leave room to research. So while I was researching my abilities, I showed my new discoveries with them, the same way Ed and Al showed us their alchemy experiments. Ah, an innocent equivalent exchange that was.- _

"No to the dragon part, but yes to the bird. I have been practicing all week shifting into a bird." Kindness explains as she starts climbing up the tree that was located on top of the hill. She stops at the highest point and scoots herself out onto the branch that reached the farthest out. Kindness then slowly crouches on the branch and slowly rises herself to the point where she's standing on the branch, being careful to balance herself. 

 

"Brother, I'm worried, what if Kind gets hurt?" Al asks worriedly, as the some of the excitement drained away. 

 

"Don't worry, Al. I'm sure Kind knows what she is doing. She said she's been practicing all week." Ed responds, dismissing his worries. 

 

"Kindness! Be careful!” Winry shouts out to Kindness, in which she responds with a thumbs up and smile. Kindness then looks straight ahead, then down, then straight ahead again. She can do this, she's been practicing all week, she's got this in the bag. Her friends wanna see their friend fly like a bird, so she's gonna give them that. 

 

Kindness takes a few careful steps back, takes a deep breath, then rushes forward and straight off the branch with her arms spread out. Just like a bird opening their wings to fly. Kindness thinks hard on the image of a bird, so hard she thinks she gave herself a headache, but it worked as she felt herself changing. Blue scaly like feathers rush over her small body as she feels herself get smaller until she is.. a bird. Kindness does a quick loop to save herself from crashing to the ground. 

 

_ -Now one big difference about recent me and seven-year-old me when it came to shapeshifting was.....- _

 

Ed, Al, and Winry watch in amazement as they watch the birded Kindness fly around in circles and do a few loops. 

 

"See Al, Kind knows what she's doing. Nothing to worry about.” 

 

*THUMP* was heard following by something tumbling and rolling down the hill. Kindness loss her concentration and shifted back to a human.To add salt to injury, she was flying up very high, so the impact to the ground was hard. What did she lose concentration to? a butterfly, a bright blue one to be exact. 

 

"Kindness!!!" The trio followed and rushed down the hill after tumbling Kindness. 

_ -...seven-year-old me didn't fully know how to use her shapeshifting. I can't tell you how many times the Ed, Al, and Winry had to help me home when I got hurt from my inexperience.- _

 

"Wow....that whole experience could have gone worse." Kindness comments as she holds onto Ed and Al as they both help her home. She had a slight limp, along with a few scratches and dirt smudges. 

 

"Gone worse? Kindy, you feel from the sky and tumbled down a hard dirt hill.” Winry protested Kindness’s comment. She can never understand why Kindness seemed so calm and casual with the fact with her almost near death experience. 

 

"And the rocks you hit at the bottom of the hill." Al adds.

 

They arrive at Kindness's house, and as right on cue, a woman with a paler complexion than Kindness with dull green eyes and black hair in a low ponytail wearing a light blue dress comes out the house. The woman sees the four kids coming up the house and immediately rushes over when she sees Kindness. 

 

"Kindness Katherine Virgo, what on earth have you been doing?" the woman spoke. 

 

"Hi mama," Kindness shyly greets. 

 

_ -Angeline Virgo was my mother. A sweet, kind, and beautiful woman, she looked as if she wouldn't hurt a fly, and she actually wouldn't hurt a fly.  But my mother knew when to put her foot down and rule with an iron fist, that sweet demeanor was still present but it had a more scary vibe to it. But overall my mother was caring and didn't care that me and Patience were born different.-  _

 

Inside the house, Angeline is treating Kindness’s injuries and lecturing her on using her shapeshifting and knowing she is inexperienced. Kindness listens and nods as her mother keeps lecturing, she knew the routine by now after getting hurt from previous experiences. Al and Winry play with the crawling 1-year-old, Patience, on the floor as she babbles and giggles. 

 

"She is so adorable" Winry cooes. 

 

"I know. Don't you think so, brother?" Al turns to ask his brother, who was sitting farther away from them with his arms crossed. 

"No, she a little devil spawn.” Ed states with no regrets.  

 

"Brother!/Ed!" 

 

Patience frowns as she throws one of the blocks near her at Ed's head, dead center in her forehead. Ed stands there frozen which causes Patience to giggle at his face. Ed stands there red-faced and mentally curses the young Patience. He couldn't put his hands on her because of one, she still a baby, an evil one, but still a baby. And two, Kindness would most certainly put him in a headlock. 

 

"Just wait until your nine or ten, just you wait." Ed mutters. 

 

_ -Yeah, since the beginning Patience was always seen as a devil spawn to Ed. Not because of her abilities or because she was, to other people, a monster. He called her that because of all the devious plans she had up at her sleeve she made for him since she was 1.- _

________________________________________________________________________________

_ (Kindness- 10 years old, Patience- 4 years old) _

 

_ 1908 _

Kindness and Patience are both out in a small patch of flowers on a bright sunny afternoon. Kindness lays back in the grass looking up at the sky, lost in thought and watches a blue butterfly fly. Patience was sitting next to her picking flowers and fusing them with her arm, giving them splotches of blue, pinks, and yellows. Patience stares at her arm, not only looking at the colorful splotches but also the blue tattoo that was on her right wrist, of a dove with spread wings with part of a wreath surrounding the bottom half of where the tail was, the tattoo was always present on her wrist and was always present on her sister's back. Patience then shakes her arms, shaking out the flower petals and stems. 

 

"Big Sis...what are we?" Patience asks Kindness curiously. 

 

"Sisters" Kindness answers. 

 

"No, no, I know that. I mean what ARE we? We're not normal like everyone else, so that makes us different from everyone else and not like them, right?" Patience asks. 

"Yes that does make us different from everyone else, Patience. And honestly, I don't know what we are," Kindness admits sad and shamefully, until she seems to get an idea and bolts right up. "But mama may know!" Kindness says hopefully. 

 

_ -When Patience was one, I didn't really have the urge to know what I was, to pursue and find out. But once Patience got to start talking, started testing out her abilities and then started asking me what exactly were we. I got the urge to find out more about us.- _

 

"Mama! Mama! do you know what me and big sis are?!" Patience asks hopeful and cheerfully, bouncing up and down in her chair. 

 

"Of course I know what you girls are," Patience smiles widely. "You girls are my two angels from beyond." Patience pouts at Angeline's answer. 

 

"Mama, she meant what are we as...beings. We're not normal, so we must be something different." Kindness clarifies Patience's question from earlier. "Do you know what we are mama?" 

 

Angeline sighs and moves her hand in a "so-so" motion. "I know and then I don't know. I know that you girls are my precious daughters, my angels sent from beyond, my little virtues. I knew before you girls were even born, you two were gonna be something special." Angeline sniffles as she wipes the tears she didn't even know were forming at the corners of her eyes. "What I don't know in detail is how you girls were made to be this way. But I just have the thing," Angeline rushes out of the room and quickly to the basement. 

 

There was the sound of things being moved and rummaged before it all stops and Angeline rushes back upstairs with a dusty leather book.  She wipes off some of the dust before handing it to Kindness, who immediately opens it and starts looking through the pages. Patience leans over and on her shoulder to look. 

 

"They're your father's notes. He just left this behind along with a few other things, but I felt he left this book behind for a reason." Angeline sighs.

 

_ -My father I never really knew that much. The last time I saw him was when he got my mother pregnant with Patience, even before that I barely knew anything about him. All I knew was his name, he was a researcher, and I assumed an alchemist but I could be wrong. But begs the question, do I hate my father? I don't hate him as a person, can't hate a person you barely know.- _

 

Kindness flips through until she stops at a page that had a drawing on it, it was a transmutation circle, like the ones in Ed and Al's book. Can this be..their answer.

"Mama, can you do alchemy?" Kindness asks her mother. 

 

"Oh no, I haven't done alchemy in years," Angeline shakes her head with a shy smile before snapping her fingers. "But...Odessa can." 

 

_ -We asked my mother to send us to her friend, Odessa or our teacher, later on. Mother agreed after a few days and sent us to Odessa who was located in the south. We stayed with her for little over a year.....most painful a little over a year in my life. My mom knew when to rule with an iron fist, but teacher ruled with an iron body all the time, but she was a good teacher and taught us everything she knew, everything we needed to know, and everything she wanted us to know.- _

 

_ -When we finally went back home, so much had changed. The boy's mom died, which was heartbreaking because Ms.Trisha was a very nice and loving lady, she reminded me of my mom a lot. Then later on in the year when the river overflowed and almost caused a flood, that's when the boys meet Ms. Izumi, and then they went off with her for a year. Within that year me and Patience tried our transmutation.- _

________________________________________________________________________________

_ (Kindness- 11 years old, Patience- 5 years old) _

 

_ 1909  _

 

Kindness finishes drawing the transmutation circle on the floor and steps back out of it.

 

"Big Sis, are you sure this will work?" Patience asks as she stands a little farther back from the transmutation circle. A little cautious and getting an eerie feeling from it.

 

"Of course it will work, I've got all the calculations right and it looks exactly like the drawing." Kindness says confidently as she places a couple of glasses bottles in the middle of the circle and backs out it once again. Kindness kneels down by the circle, and rubs her hands together she looks at Patience and gives a smile.

 

"Don't worry it'll be fine. I'm not gonna get hurt." Kindness then places her hands on the circle and it starts to lowly glow a yellow-white light before shining brightly. Both Kindness and Patience smile, as Patience laughs a little in excitement. Until..the light turns a dangerous purple.

 

"B-big Sis, what's going on?" Patience asks in a scared voice as she backs up further.

 

"I-I don't know, maybe it's part of the transmuta-" A sudden big blast of air caused Kindness to stop talking and Patience to be blown back into a wall being knocked out and blew out all the candles making the room dark.

 

_ -Maybe I should have read the book of notes more carefully.- _

 

Kindness opens her eyes as she finds herself laying on the floor of what was not her home anymore. The room? was had a yellow-whitish tint to it and was completely empty, except for the large stone gateway that was in front of her. 

 

"W-where Am I?" Kindness asks out in a scared tone. 

 

"Don't you recognize it~?" A voice asks, which cause Kindness to look around. "You are at the gate, you should remember this place~.”

 

"I-I've never been here before!" Kindness screams at the gateway, where she concludes the voice was talking from.  

 

"Oh, but you have~ You was here for a very long time almost four centuries before I brought you back~"  the voice responds which confuses Kindness. Four hundred years? That's ridiculous, she would be dead if she was around that long ago. 

 

"I don't know this place! I would remember if I've been to a place like this, But I know that this place has the answers I want. So tell me," Kindness takes a small step forward. "Who am I?” 

 

"Who are you?.... Ooooohhhh you wanna know what kind of being you are~?" 

"Yes! Can you please tell me?" Kindness asks eagerly, she was finally gonna get the answers her and Patience been waiting for.  

 

"......Why tell you," The gateway starts to open slowly until it was fully open.  "When I can show you~." A huge eye appears along with a thousand pair of other eyes all staring at her. Kindness backs up a little only for one of these black ghost-like hands to reach out and pull her towards the gate, other hands soon join in and start to pull her in more quickly. 

 

"Don't struggle, you wanna know your answers you must pay the toll first~"  Kindness was now fully pulled into the gate and was slowly being enclosed in darkness as the doors close.  "You shouldn't be so scared, You've stayed in the gate, in the dark for a long time with us~ It'll be just like old times~ You should be very familiar with this gate, Katherine~." 

 

As soon as the final words were spoken, the doors close fully and Kindness was put into full darkness. Kindness screams out in pain as she feels the many hands pull apart what felt like her whole chest. She screams out more when they place something inside her chest, then was thrown down a spiral of images, information on science itself, it was so much to take in. 

 

But as quick as it came, she was soon out the gate and back home on the floor in the darkened room.

 

Patience wakes up and coughs then looks around. She stands up, shakily and walks forward to where the circle was.

 

"B-Big Sis, where are yo-" Patience stops and shivers when her bare feet step into a wet puddle, she looks down and sees the puddle and it looks darker and thicker than water, there wasn't even any water in the room before. "B-B-Blood?"

 

"That Bastard! It hurts!" Patience jumps and looks up to see in the dark her sister kneeling over clutching her chest and bleeding really badly.

Patience screams loudly.

 

_ -After that day, I wasn't the same, mentally or physically.- _

 

"Big Sis..." Kindness looks at Patience, who was standing by her bedside. Kindness slowly sits up, putting her hand over her bloodied bandaged chest. She slightly hisses in pain. 

 

"Yeah, Patience?" Kindness asks. 

 

"Where did you go? O-Or what did you see?" Patience asks, very softly and curiously. She knew her sister had gone somewhere in a small time span, wherever she went it she didn't come back the same way.

 

Kindness has flashes of memories of what she experienced just hours ago. The void emptiness of the room, the echo like voice, the black ghostly hands, the eerie eyes and faces of those creatures, them ripping apart her chest. 

 

"It was...nothing." 

 

"oh...okay." Patience says in a plain tone, but under that tone was a uncertainty of being convinced that what happened to Kindness was just 'nothing'. "I'll leave you alone to get some rest." and like that Patience leaves the room in a rush.

 

_ -If Patience wasn't a curious kid, then she would have left the subject alone. But Patience believed that there is something in nothing.- _

 

(W: slight gore)

Once Kindness was sure Patience went downstairs, she carefully gets herself out of bed and walks over to her dresser. She moves the small mirror that had a butterfly charm on it, that was on the dresser and then starts to remove the bandages, there was red blemishes and new skin over the previously gruesomely torn skin, she was healing pretty quickly. Kindness takes the scissors that were next to the mirror and positions them right over the healed skin. 

 

She takes a deep breath of courage and sticks the pair of scissors in the wound. She bites down on her tongue to hold back a scream. Kindness then slowly drags the scissors down and through the healing torn skin. Blood dripped down from the scissors and out the wound all onto the floors. Once she makes a big enough cut, Kindness throws the bloody scissors on the floor and digs her bloody hands into the now open cavern. Kindness spreads the skin opening as she can see what was inside, inside was pearl white stone, sitting right in the middle of her collarbone and chest. It had vessels of blood attached to it...like it was a second beating heart. 

“Da hell did he do to me?”

______________________________________________________________________

_ (Kindness- 12 years old, Patience- 6 years old) _

 

_ 1910 _

_ -After that discovery, I made sure to hide my father's notes so Patience wouldn't do the same thing I did, so she wouldn't have to go through the same thing I did. But science and faith always find a way. About a year later, Patience committed the same transmutation I did and experienced the same thing I did..sadly.- _

 

Patience is sitting up in her bed with a bloodied bandaged chest, sitting crossed legged and wrapped in a blanket as she sniffles and lets a few cries out from the burning pain in her chest.  Kindness sits on her bed holding the leather book full of their father's notes, now stained with both their blood, previous mistakes and current repeated mistakes. 

 

"You careless little sister of mine..." 

 

_ -Not even a month later, The Elric brothers decided to commit the ultimate taboo in alchemy, human transmutation.- _

 

Kindness sits crossed legged on the floor across from the now armor bound Alphonse. As Edward was inside the Rockbells surgery room they use with their automail clients. Kindness lets out a tired sigh, ever since Kindness did that transmutation she always told the Elrics to not do any transmutation that looked weird. She enforced that warning when Patience did the transmutation a month ago, but instead ‘don't do any transmutations that are dangerous’.

 

"You careless friends of mine.."

 

_ -After that, If Patience, Edward, and Alphonse are together, trouble was bound to happen. More on Edward's and Patience's parts. Either trouble happen with all three of them, or if party A cause trouble, then expect party B to cause trouble a little after.- _

_______________________________________________________________________________

"Patience,please, you're gonna have to let me go some time soon." Kindness pleads as tries to reason with Patience at letting her go. She was holding on extra tight since they was standing at the door. 

"No! Unless you let me come with you, I'm not letting go." Patience stubbornly protests. 

 

_ -I read further into my father's notes and found a clue to where I could get some answers, Central. His notes didn't give a specific media of what or where the answers were just: "Where most of the answers lie, is in Central." Another thing I concluded about my father, he was a vague man, but I had to take a chance.- _

 

"Patience, let your sister go, I'm sure she will return home as soon as she can." Angeline spoke as she walked over to the door where they were standing, holding something small wrapped up in cloth. 

 

"Mama, you are very calm about letting me go.” Kindness points out. 

 

"I don't want to let you go If I was more forceful or my overall say in any matter, you wouldn't even be standing at this door." Angeline straightens out Kindness's light blue shirt and then fixes the white knee length skirt.  "But I know that the more I push you away from your goal, the more determined you are to pursue it. So all I can do is stand by and support you." Angeline unfolds the cloth to reveal two items.

 

One was a gold badge in an oval shape with the engraved and risen letters of 'CM' with a star engraved and risen right below the letters. The second was a blue and purple butterfly brooch, but once Angeline picked it up, it was actually a hair tie. Angeline puts the badge in Kindness's pocket then takes the butterfly hair tie and ties Kindness hair into a ponytail with it. Angeline cups Kindness face.

 

"You come back home when you are done." 

 

"Mama, you know I'll-" Kindness starts but is cut off. 

 

"You come back home when you are done. Promise me that." Angeline says more sternly in which Kindness nods to that tone. 

 

"I promise, mama" Kindness hugs Angeline, in which she hugs her tightly, bringing Patience into the hug too. When Kindness is finally released from the hug, she picks up her suitcase and opens the door, but doesn't go out yet when her mother starts talking again. 

 

"Kindness, remember to come back when you are done. You are my little butterfly with big wings that will take you everywhere on your journey. But make sure those wings bring you back home." Kindness feels tears prick her eyes as she nods and gives a smile. 

 

"I will make sure mama, I'll always come back to you and Patience, I love you both too much to leave forever" With that Kindness walks out the door and starts down the long dirt path. 

 

This is where Kindness's journey starts. 

  
  
  



	4. EP 4- An Alchemist's Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kindness starts spreading her bloodline gift further when she tries to figure the mystery in the next town over. She also makes an observation about something.

Earlier... 

Kindness tugs at her white knee-length skirt and her light blue shirt. She then turns the badge in her hand, inspecting the smaller symbols and words on it.  

 

"What so special about this badge?" Kindness asks herself as she runs her fingers over the risen letters 'CM'. She knew it had to be something important if her mother still kept it, from what she can assume from the color of age on the badge, years maybe decades. 

 

"Well, it must be very special and important if mama gave it to me for my journey."

______________________________________________________

Now (Kindness's POV)

 

I jump up from my sleep quickly as I felt the train's horn blow.

 

"Last stop folks!" I hear the train people shout. I stretch my arms upwards, cracking my back in the process. I then gather up my stuff and walk off the train, the station I wanna say was semi-crowded- GOSH! WHEN DID IT GET SO COLD?! I wanted to shift a sweater on myself, but I didn't want to cause any attention to myself. 

 

"Okay I'm here, so," I look around the station in confusion, rubbing my arms to keep myself warm. I have never been in this area or stopped to get off here,  but I know I had to come through here in order to get to Central. 

 

"Where should I-" something catches my eyes that stood out and no one else seemed to notice, my eyes only. "-go." It looked to be a girl, to be in her teens or older. She looked to be just a regular girl, except the fact she looked so pale...deadly pale, almost like a ghost. She was looking around lost until she makes eye contact with me. She tilts her head, I mimic her movements. I saw her eyes widen as she starts mouthing words, it looked like she was asking me 'can you see me'.  I nod my head in agreement. The girl then starts frantically but almost excitingly beckons me with both her hands over towards her, then she starts running in a certain direction. 

 

"Well," I bend down and pick up my suitcase I set down earlier. "Guess I'm following you at the moment." I then proceed to follow after the girl. 

___________________________

I stopped running finally and set my suitcase next to me, I lost her.  "Da! I can't believe I lost her." I plot myself down on the ground, cross-legged and face in my hands.  I move my hands away and my eyes widen as I finally took in my surroundings. 

 

"Huh, she must have taken me to the town." I look around at the town and the woods nearby. The town has some lit torches and a familiar almost gathering setup, like the town is having a celebration.  

 

"Did she mean to bring me here or-" I quickly turn my head when I see movement near the woods. It was the girl again, this time she was beckoning me over to the woods. "Found you." 

 

I pick up my stuff then I looked down at my luggage, I really didn't wanna take my luggage with me into a dark shady, no pun intended woods. I look around and found a bush, I shove my luggage and conceal as best into the bush. Then jogged over to the woods area, as soon as I did that the ghost girl went into the woods and the running begins once again.

___________________________

 

I chased after her until I reached a clearing in the woods on a slight hill, which gave me a nice view of the town but the girl was nowhere to be found..again. 

"Okay, you obviously brought me all the way over to the next town over- which thank you by the way- for something. And not because you thought I was lost and needed help." I talk aloud, hoping she'll show herself again. "I could see by the way you were beckoning me that you need my help. So can you please come ou-" I stopped talking as I see the girl in front of me when I finally turned around.  But she wasn't alone this time, she had brought other girls just like her the only thing was there were different ages. 

"There's...there's so many of you." I tilt my head slightly as I take the time to evaluate them.  "What happened to you guys?" I asked as I slowly walk around them, they all had ghostly pale skin, dull messy hair. I stopped in front of one of the youngest girl who looked a little over ten. I kneeled down slightly and look at her eyes as she looks back. Her eyes were so..dull and dead...lifeless. 

 

I decided to do a bold move and quickly pushed my arm into her chest. A regular person would just get knocked back, but my arm phased right through this girl. This confirmed my suspicions, she's a ghost, all of them are ghosts. I straighten back up and look out towards the edge of the clearing to look at the town. 

 

"Do you guys have any clues as to how you got like-" I gesture my hand towards their body. "-this?" One of the girls raises their hand halfway before going over to a bush and pointing. I walk over to the bush slowly before pushing away the leaves and branches, I immediately jump back. 

 

"I-Is that a dead body?" I ask fearfully, all I saw was the outline of a blackened body and immediately thought it was the corpse of one of the girls. I shake my head, no it can't be, corpses smell and an animal would have eaten it by now. I slowly walk back to the bush and look at the body. 

 

When I got a closer look at the body, it was indeed burnt, but something about it stuck out. I see a strand of hair that stuck from the body’s head, undamaged from the fire. I reach out and pluck it from its head, then rubbing it between my fingers. The hair was red and feel very...synthetic. I snapped my fingers. 

 

“AHA!” 

 

There was a reason the corpse didn’t smell, it’s not an actual corpse. Corpses will smell no matter what, and in the wilderness, they will eventually be eaten later by animals. The body still being here, proves that it’s not edible for animals, plus it’s not decomposing. The hair is the eyeopener to this body, real hair doesn’t have a synthetic feel to it. Trust me, after having to do Patience’s hair a few times after she plays in the mud, hair doesn’t feel synthetic. 

 

I turned around to the girls, hoping maybe one of them can clarify why this..doll is here. But only the girl who brought me here was there, every other girl was gone. 

“Um, can you tell me why this doll is here?” I ask, gesturing towards the doll. The girl points out the clearing opening, towards the view of the town. She opens her mouth like before, but this time she looked to be really struggling to say something. 

 

I look out towards the town and came to the conclusion, someone in the town is responsible for this. 

 

“Ma-Ma-Ma..” She spoke, but have trouble getting the name out. But stops suddenly and steps back fearfully, while looking behind me.  

 

I turn around slowly and cautiously, afraid of what being was behind me, only to see a man. He was wearing dark clothes and has a hood over her face, it completely shadowed any part of his face except his mouth. I was scared at first, but that melted away into anger, this guy could be the person behind all this and trying to cover up his tracks, and like hell was I gonna let him do that. 

 

"Who are you?!" I shout in a demanding tone, but no response from him. "Oh, you're the silent type," I start walking towards him, now with the intent of using physical force. "Won’t matter now, I’ll make you talk. You’re probably the connard who did this." I suddenly stop in my tracks as I get slightly dizzy. I hold my head with one of my hands as it proceeds to get worse, It felt like the world was spinning, nausea would be a good word because I felt like vomiting. 

 

I fall to the ground as my vision starts getting blurry, I see the man walks toward me and kneels down to my level. I could make out his face a little, even though with blurred vision, I can see that he was wearing a mouthguard and goggles. 

"Y-you connard, what did you-?" 

 

"Shhh," the man silenced me and touched my forehead, I compile, strangely. "Just sleep for now. Everything will be fine when you wake up." And that's the last thing I heard before my whole world went dark.

__________________________

~The Next Day~

 

After that whole run-in with the ghost girls and being "knocked out" by that mystery guy. I woke up by the entrance of the woods and figure I head into the town, if I’m gonna get more answers, that’s probably the best and only place. 

While in town I run into -surprisingly but not surprising - Ed and Al, of course, me and Ed have our exchange of words. Me calling him Funsize, him calling me a fatass, him yelling at me to let go of his face as I pinch his cheeks, the usual conversations. I told them about my investigation and they took me back to the town’s alchemist, Majihal. 

 

Ed asked him about a woman named "Karin". I sipped my tea as Majihal talked about her. Apparently, she was a florist twenty years ago who was kind and beautiful. She fell to her death as she as going into town to show her rare blue roses she grew finally. I could tell the way Majihal talked about her, he liked- no, loved her. I had a feeling he stilled loved her, I found it sad and romantic. But I couldn't shake the feeling there was more behind his feelings for her. 

 

"So, what do you think, brother? Kind?" Al asks Ed after all the information we just learned.

"Well I don't buy ghosts, or zombies, or the living dead," Ed starts and I snort at that statement. Ed looks at me. "Something you disagree with, Kindness?” 

 

"Yes I do, Yesterday there was this...ghost girl that brought me here and to the woods. There were other girls like her for what seemed the same reason, and the reason is in this town." I lift one finger up. “But whatever is happening in this town, it’s not the actual ghosts.”

 

"Riiiiight. Kindness, ghosts and zombies don’t exist, whatever you saw last night was maybe your head playing tricks with you." Ed says, disregarding my whole statement. I sigh and just cross my arms, Ladies and gentlemen meet Funsize Edward Elric. The boy who has a friend who can shapeshift, heal faster than normal people, an entire abnormal being all together...but doesn’t believe in ghosts. 

 

Speaking of the ghost girls, I feel like my main suspect in this mess is Majihal. He’s the only alchemist in this town and completely falls under the radar, no one would suspect him, he can probably use that to his advantage and cover his tracks. Plus, what the girl was about to say... 

 

_ “Ma-Ma-Ma..” _

 

Should have been trying to say Majihal’s name, but that’s not good concrete evidence. Ugh! I need some more information. I was suddenly broken from my thoughts by a pitch, squealing noise of some sort. It sounded like..when steam pressure is building up and is about to bust.

 

"What's was that?" Ed suddenly stands up and goes to the door behind up and opens it. I follow him and look to seem a very dark but with a few lit candles hallway. It looked suspicious but welcoming for us to come and explore it. 

 

"You hear that, or am I going' crazy?" Ed asks to I guess me and Al.

 

"I heard it, it sounded like something was dying."

 

"Hear....what?" Al asks, confused. That makes sense..armor doesn't have any ears. But then how is he hearing everything else other times?

___________________________

We were walking through the graveyard..at night....by ourselves......yeah I can tell something’s gonna happen.

"Brother! Kind! Wait for me!" Al rushes up to get close to us, he was scared. I don't blame him, I would be scared even by a little rumor ghost story too. 

 

"What's with you? Are you scared?" Ed asks in a slightly teasing voice. That's just human nature. Older siblings teasing they’re younger siblings about being scared, I should now, I did that to Patience a few times. 

 

"Ed its natural that he's scared. I'm a little scared too." I looked down at my hands and snap my fingers, shifting them to make a light in my hand.

 

"Of course not! I'm not scared! There aren't really zombies around, are they?" Al asks. I turn back and give him a reassuring smile.

 

"No there are no zombies, Al. Ghosts, yes, but zombies no. A ghost body is practically useless to then after they're dead. Especially if it's decaying or very badly-" I suddenly put a hand over the middle of my chest as I felt it burning suddenly. This..this is very new. "Just no Al, there can't be zombies."

 

"Exactly, Don't be thick, Al. If Karin is roaming these woods, it would only be thanks to human alchemy, which is the only reason we're here." Ed gets out before we fall into a hole that was greatly disguised by leaves, ah a classic trap. Unlucky for me and Ed, Al landed on top of us.

 

"My back! Again...." Ed wheezes out.

 

"My chest! Again..." I say as I felt the middle of my chest get warmer...something's gonna happen soon, and it’s nothing good. "Excuse me, Al." I slip my hand underneath him to his chest place and lift him up with slight ease.

 

"False alarm" I look and a see a boy? I don't really know. The kid looks like a paperboy but sounds like a girl. The two boys with her? Suddenly they both ran off like they’ve seen a ghost.

 

By the time me, Ed, and Al were getting ourselves out of the hole. The kid was running towards, the ghost of Karin that people were seeing.

 

"Wait! Clause!" Ed calls out, I was already in the process of shifting my hand into a whip to draw 'Clause' back. But literally, Majihal came out of nowhere and stepped in front of Clause. He sent the 'ghost' on fire.

We were now out the hole and watching the ghost of Karin burn. But what was suspicious, One, it let out that same squealing pitch from earlier, the same one we heard in the house, and Two, the hair of the ghost, looked exactly like the same shade of red hair from the burnt ‘corpse’ in the woods. But watching this ghost of Karin burn told me there isn't an end to this yet…because the warm sensation in my chest was burning now.

 

(Author POV)

 

"Majhal's just a two-bit alchemist after all. How disappointing." Lust says as she watches the scenes going on from the shadows in the trees. She turns to leave but stops when she sees Kindness shift the whip that was morphed with her arm back into her hand. Watching as the reptile-like scales flutter up then disappear. 

 

"Interesting~" Lust says as smiles slightly and walks away.

 

Ed turns to look and see her retreating form walk away. Kindness just thought she was hearing things when she heard the woman’s voice. 

___________________________

(Kindness POV) 

 

Ed knocks against one of the many doors that were in the dark suspicious hallway. I kept looking forward down into the darkness of the hallway.

 

"Brother what are you doing?" Al asks Ed as he watches him.

 

"I was right about her not being a zombie. But she wasn't a transmute either."

"Or a ghost" I add as I look slightly over my shoulder, I could see Ed roll his eyes. I pout and look forward again I start to rub the middle of my chest since the burning hasn't subsided yet.

 

"That sound she made, it was the same one I heard in here." Ed manages to get the door open, I lean back to look in the room and what we saw was just...morbid and creepy. There were dolls, doll parts and completed ones of what the ghost earlier looked like, what stood out to me and got my attention was the red hair. My eyes widen, the burned fake figure in the woods!

 

"I'll be right back!" I shout as I run down the hallway and out the house to the woods.

I was able to get back the hill clearing in no time. I go to the bush and push it fully away to see the full body of the burned figure, last time I only focused on the head, but now seeing it fully, it's an exact match to the dolls in the house. The few strands of red hair that was still in the skull, the same burned brown eyes that were still in the eye sockets, the burned ashes and few surging pieces of white cloth from the dress. It was definitely Majhal, and this doll.. this thing was burned sloppy, it was like a draft before a final piece of work. This..must have been his first or even second try at the doll, he didn't know how to get rid of it properly so he left it buried in the woods and got better at getting rid of the dolls. These dolls are like..vessels in a way, and the girls were the ones that made it work, he murdered those girls for his sick fantasy and he definitely gonna keep anyone from finding out-...Oh no. 

 

"Ed and Al!" I suddenly start running back to the house as fast as I can. Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! I shouldn't have left them like that. 

___________________________

 

I make it to the house, me just walking into the house again would be dangerous. I look up at the house, maybe I’ll find an entrance upstairs. I shift into a crow and fly around the second floor of the house looking in the windows. I find the window to the room they were in instantly. I land on the ledge and from the looks of it Ed and Al were tied up by the wrists and Majhal and a woman who from being brought up to speed by Al-cuz Ed isn't really much help- is 'Lebi'.

 

As I listen on Majihal explains his whole operation, which clarifies my theory more.  He says how he made the dolls as soul attachments to recreate the woman he loved, Karin. He used the souls of village girl he could take and attached them to his dolls, he failed at the attempts with human transmutation so he resorted to...this. Some of the souls rejected their vessels and malfunction while others escaped and wandered the village. He did all of this...for the one thing that can drive any person crazy or sane.....love. That's what Majihal saw in his eyes, by him killing these girls, forcing their souls into an inhuman body for his obsession he saw it all for love, but we see the truth for what it is....he's batshit love sick crazy.

 

Ed wasn't happy with this at all, and that fact that Clause came at that moment- oh gosh not that little girl. I started pecking on the window, maybe to break the glass but no use.

 

"Ugh!" I fly straight away from the windowsill as far away as I could and then fly-charge right into the window, shifting back to a human once I meet the floor. I crash on the floor with the broken glass and with cuts. I pant and sit up and look up at Ed and Al who were looking at me like I was crazy. I stand up and shake the bits of glass off.

 

"What? Drastic time, drastic measure."

________________________

 

We managed to stop Majhal just in time before he did anything major to Clause. All from the other room, Ed figured out just from one blue rose petal that Lebi was actually Karin all along, she had gotten amnesia. Majhal didn't believe that his once beautiful Karin was now a wrinkled old lady. But I think Majhal didn't realize that humans are like flowers. We are beautiful and young but they will wither and die eventually. But Majhal was stuck in time and eventually this while obsession got him killed, he died still not believing Lebi was Karin.

___________________________

~The next day~

 

Kindness was sitting on the edge of the woods once again, waiting until she has to go to the train station. She sits on her suitcase and thinks about the course of events over the past couple of days. 

 

“Thank you.” Kindness hears a girl’s voice as she turns to see it was the ghost girl, who brought her to the town. She looked more alive, not as dead and lifeless. Kindness shakes her head and smiles. 

 

“You don’t have to thank me, Seeing you and those other girls at peace is enough for me.” Kindness says kindly, as she picks up the suitcase and swings it in front of her. 

“You truly do follow your name,” Kindness nods as she starts to walk down the dirt path. “Oh! Which reminds me, can you do me one last favor?” 

 

Kindness turns back to look at her. “Sure, what is it?” 

 

“Can you give a message to someone for me?” 

___________________________

Kindness looks at Clause over her shoulder as the cart was pulling up. Clause was now wearing a dress and had her hair down, she looked more like a girl and looked...like the ghost girl, only a smaller version. 

 

Kindness approaches Clause, as she bends down a little to meet her height. "You are Clause, right?"

 

Clause blinks and looks at Kindness. "Yeah? Why do you wanna know" She says a little snappish. 

 

"You look so much like your sister,” Clause eyes widen at that statement, but Kindness continues.”She wanted me to tell you that, she is very proud of you and loves you very much. And to keep on being you.” Clause looks at her, frozen at the words. 

 

Kindness steps into the cart and as the cart starts riding off, Clause finally stays something. 

 

"Hey, weird chick! Thank you!"

 

Kindness giggles at the nickname and waves at her.

 

The ghost girl, Clause’s sister watches from afar, she gives one last kind smile and fades away. 

 

“Thank you, Kindness ”

  
  
  



	5. EP 5- Terrorists on a Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the trio head to Central on their only hope of ever getting accepted into the military and CM, a train. Something occurs that side track so their current ride there.

Al was standing at a bun stand with Kindness sitting on her suitcase next to him, her face in her hands looking up at the birds, While in deep thoughts about previous events and unintentionally listening to Ed's phone conversation, enhanced hearing can really be a pain at times. 

 

"Let's see, these smell good right? Kind?" Kindness looks up at him after a few seconds delayed, after snapping out of her thoughts. 

 

"Huh? Yeah, they smell very good,” Kindness shakes her head “But probably won't be as sweet as cinnamon buns or cake though." She sighs tiredly, as she slouches and looks up at the sky again, stuffing her hands in her skirt pockets. 

 

"I could go for a cinnamon bu- huh?" She felt something like paper in her pocket. It wasn't too big so it could unnoticed, but she remembers both these pockets being empty.

 

Kindness takes out the piece of paper which was actually a business card? When did this get in her pocket? She turns it over and reads the front: 

 

_ “Central Millennium Academy For Gifted students” _ , then with a picture of a Phoenix below the text. 

 

"Now when did this get in my pocket?" Kindness thinks back her steps. "It can't be mama, can't be you, Al or Ed, definitely can’t be the ghost girls, the only other interaction I had was with that weird masked-" Kindness frowns as she thought of who it was. "....that connard." Kindness flips the back of the card and sees a handwritten message in cursive: “Octavia Adams.” And a phone number.

 

Kindness stands up and walks towards the phone Ed. She taps on his shoulder. "Your train is about to leave. You need to get to central, and fast from what it sounds like on the phone." Ed turns and hangs up the phone, he frowns at her slightly.

 

"I knew that! I was gonna go anyway." Ed turns to Al who was finishing up buying buns. "Hey, Al! Boarding time!"

 

"Now?" Al asks surprised at how early they were leaving and in a rush. 

 

"Change of plans! Come on!" Ed grabs Kindness arm and was about to start running towards the train but she planted herself, stopping him. He looks at her.

"Come on Kind! We don't have time for this."

 

"Go on without me, Funsize," Kindness pats his head then grabs him by the collar and drags him towards the train. "I'll catch up with you two. Like I said, From the sounds of your conversation on the phone you're needed faster in Central then me." She gently tosses him into the train as Al was boarding and the trains leaves.

 

Kindness walks back to the phone but not before hearing a voice yell out the window as the train leave shouting "WHO ARE YOU CALLING FUNSIZED PIPSQUEAK WHO'S SMALLER THAN A GRAIN OF SAND, YOU FATTY?!"

 

Kindness picks up the phone and dials the number that was on the card. 

 

*riiiiiiing...*riiiiiiiinngg...*

_________________________

 

~Central Millennium Academy, Central City~

 

*riiinng..* *riiing..* 

 

“Octavia! Your phone’s ringing!”

 

“I can hear that, Aries!”

 

A woman with black hair tied back with a clip, with peachy skin and brown reddish eyes. Walks over to her desk full of tests and worksheets to grab, she gently pushes them aside and reaches over in time to answers the phone. 

 

"Hello, Octavia Adams speaking." The woman asks as she drags the phone back with her to her seat.

 

_ "Hello...Um, My name is Kindness Virgo ma'am. I’m calling because one of your...associates put a card in my pocket with your number on it. So, that must mean I had to call you."  _

 

"Kindness Virgo? Wait a minute…” Octavia shuffles around for a paper on her desk for a while before finding it. “Yes, an associate of mine did mention that I would be getting a call from you. He said from…” Octavia tried to find the right words to describe ‘Aries’ gathering information skills. “...analyzing, that you would like to join our school, correct?” 

 

_ "Yes, ma'am." Kindness stiffens up, how did that masked guy know? They only encounter each other for not even two minutes.  _

 

"Well, if you can get here today by..." Octavia looks at the clock on the wall. "..say four ‘o clock, then you can still make for the pre-entrance process."

 

_ Kindness looks at the clock that was above the phone. It was half past three, she wasn’t gonna make it to Central on the next train. She’s gonna have to go with plan B.  _

 

_ "........I'll be there soon ma'am." Kindness hands up the phone and grabs her suitcase. She jets off the platform the turns into a falcon and flies after the train she just put...more like threw Ed on with Al. _

 

Octavia looks at the phone then shrugs. "You better be right about this girl, Aries." Octavia says to the man who was looking through her bookcase.

 

A man with tan skin and white hair that reached his neck and wearing black sunglasses, which kinda looked like women's sunglasses. “Trust me, Octavia, this girl is something special.” He says with a smooth voice almost like velvet. He gives a smile as he places a book back on her shelf.

 

_ 'Every girl that’s Lue's age or younger is something special.'  _ Octavia though. 

 

"Heard that." Octavia whips her head around in shock, 'Aries' taps the side of his head with his finger. Octavia growls, it slipped her mind that he can read minds, even if it didn’t, she didn’t think he would pry into her head. 

 

"Let’s...Let’s just go meet the girl at the train station," Octavia stands up and fixes her suit jacket and brushes her skirt. “And quit prying into my mind.”

 

"You know I can’t help it, Octavia, Our teacher said that I have a gift, and I should use it." 'Aries' simply says as he walks to the door. Octavia sighs, this is the effect of Mr.Burton’s teachings. 

_________________________

"Daaa I hope I can catch up in time, It would be easier to just fly all the way to Central, but I don’t think I can fly that long carrying luggage." Kindness keeps flying until she sees the train. She lands on one of the train carts and shifts back into a human. She goes to the edge and climbs down the ladder into the train, she shakes her head and wrinkles her nose. 

 

_ ‘Gosh, that familiar scent.’  _ Kindness thinks as she walks through the trains carts until she reaches the desired cart. 

 

"Your kindness in a can. Oh hey, Fatass." Ed looks up at Kindness and was surprised at her being on the train. “I thought you stayed at the station.”

 

"I was at the station, But turns out I need to be at the city by four o’ clock, " Kindness wheezes out a breath of air. "So I flew as a falcon to catch up to the train and here I am." Kindness walks pass Ed and sits next to Al. She leans her head against the window and looks out of it. “So tired..” 

 

"I like your hair miss~!" Kindness blinks and looks to see a little girl peeking over the seat that was behind Ed. Kindness smiles, it was common someone made a comment about her hair. The main reason was the color. 

 

"Why thank you. I like your hair too little miss...." Kindness sits up and away from the window, she makes a pause since she didn't know the girl's name.

 

"Marin, miss" Marin answers happily.

 

"Marin? Hm, that's a nice name, I'm Kindness." Kindness responds with a smile.

 

"Haha, you have a funny name." Marin comments.

"Marin, that is very rude to say to her." Marin’s mother tells her. 

 

"No, no, it’s alright miss, I know I have an unusual name.” Kindness says with a small smile then yawns. "I know..." Kindness then slowly falls asleep.

__________________________

_ ~Dream (Kindness POV)~  _

_ "Oh, Katherine~" I hear a voice say as I open my eyes and are meet with a pale yellow room with a late stone gate. I...I know this place too well.  _

 

_ "I'm back here again? But I didn’t even do that truth transmutation again." I sit up off the ground and look around the Gate and then my eyes land on an unpleasant blank figure of myself, Truth. "Oh, You again?" _

 

_ "Yes it's me but guess what, Katherine~?" Truth says in a sing-song voice as before. I sigh, they or he got something planned.  _

 

_ "What? Your gonna rip open my chest and shove another stone in?" I ask in a bored tone. “And for the last time, my name isn’t Katherine.”  _

_ "No~ you're about to meet some new friends, Kindness." Truth says now suddenly in front of me, I scoot back. _

 

_ "Wha-" _

 

_ "You need to wake up now, Katherine. Sounds like your friends in trouble." Truth poked her nose and then world the became black after Truth said that. _

 

_ ~Dream? End~  _

___________________________

Kindness woke up with a start and touched her nose, it was cold, colder than the rest of her. Was that..real? Kindness looks around then trains her eyes on the floor, Why are there two unconscious men on the floor? And..that burning sensation in her chest is back again.

 

"Ed, Al, why are there two unconscious men on the floor?" Kindness asks as she stands up.

 

"Hijackers."

 

"Oh, then that explains why they're knocked out." Kindness looks over to see a white-haired man tied up and squirming on the floor. "Hm." Kindness shifts her hands into a pair of scissors and walks over to him. The man starts squirming even more in panic. 

___________________________

"So you work for the military, a state warrant officer?" Kindness cuts the back of the ropes with her scissors before shifting her hand back.

 

"A soldier? You don't look like one." Ed comments.

"Looks can be deceiving Ed. And for all we know he could be undercover, Sorry about him Mr.Falman, and sorry about giving you a scare.” 

 

"It's alright, you are both right. There is a reason I look like this, we have a special passenger on board. You know the front car kind." Falman explains as he stands up. Ed stands there and thinks for a moment.

 

"Al, I'm going up too to throw a surprise party. You go with him from below." Ed tells Al, Kindness blinks.

 

"Yeah okay." Al responds.

 

Kindness was thinking for a moment about what Ed meant "throwing a surprise party from up top". It hit her a few seconds later he meant going on top of the train. Kindness thinks a possible scenario that could happen…

 

_ ~Scenario~  _

_ "Oh don't worry about me Kindness. I'll be fine walking across the slightly rounded roof of a fast-moving train. What could go wrong?" Ed says so cheerfully and walks across the roof of the train. _

 

_ Then a wild bird appears and knocks him in the head causing him to lose his balance and falls off the train.  _

_ ~Scenario ends~ _

 

Kindness pales and shakes her head. She quickly takes her both the regular and butterfly hair tie out, letting her hair loose. She slips the butterfly hair tie on her wrist and transmuted the regular hair tie into a thin rope. 

 

"I'm coming with you Funsize."

___________________________

 

"You didn't have to come with me! I would have been fine by myself!" Ed yells to Kindness behind him as he walks across the roof.

 

"I know! It’s the fact that you, plus walking across a moving train do not mix! Why do you think I have the rope around us?!" Kindness tugs lightly at the thin rope around her waist and Ed's. "You also might need some help!"

"Will you quit mom-ing me?! I would have been fine by myself walking on this train!" Ed turns his head around to yell at Kindness. He didn't deny or brought up the fact that she said he might need her help because he might need her help...he's just not gonna admit out loud at the moment.

 

"I'm not mom-ing you! A big sister, yes! A helping companion, yes! But if I was mom-ing you, you wouldn't even make it up the ladder to get here, Funsize!" Kindness turns her hand around clockwise to let some rope loose.

 

"WHO ARE YOU-?!"

 

"Ed branch!" Ed turns around too late and gets smacked in the face with a branch causing him to tumble back to the end of the cart. Kindness gets pulled down and tries to pull the rope to stop him. But was too late as he already tumbled off. "ED!"

Kindness quickly gets up and runs back to the end of the cart, have her nightmare scenarios come true? Did he really fall off the cart to his early death? She was quickly relieved to see he was still on the train being held by a man with black hair and green eyes and wearing a purple shirt.

 

"You know there's a real art to train walking. I'm surprised you two made it this far." He says.

 

"Thanks, I guess." Ed responds.

 

"Now I'm glad I put this rope around us." Kindness states.

 

"I'm Major Hughes and you're Edward Elric, is that right?" Hughes asks Ed.

 

"Uh, yeah that's right."

 

"You sounded a little unsure there, Funsize."

 

"Shut up fatty." Hughes looks at Kindness, a little confused. Mustang did mention Ed and his suit of armor brother, but never anything about a girl.

 

"And who is nice girl traveling with the Elrics? Girlfriend?" Kindness quickly shakes her head and blushed ever so slightly.

"Oh no no no. I'm a simple friend. Kindness Virgo, sir." Kindness pulls up the string, lifting up Ed. "And a person that make sure he doesn't die over dumb things. Like walking across the roof of a moving train with little to nonexistence experience."

 

"Hey! Put me down Kind!" Kindness quickly shushes him as he continues to struggle.

 

"Mr.Hughes I assume you're with the military, correct me if I'm wrong?"

 

"Yes, I am. An old friend of Mustang." Ed stops struggling at that.

 

"Lieutenant colonel?"

 

Kindness mentally sighs at that question. She should just drop him right now, but that would be wrong. 

 

"Yep." Hughes simply responds and looks up. "He's always bragging about that silly promotion too. Come on Ed, we better work as a team, and you too Ms.Virgo."

 

Kindness blinks and nods then gives a 'yes sir'. Ed simply stares at him in line awe so let's count that as a 'sure let's work together.'

___________________________

While Ed and Hughes were up at the train's engine. Kindness decided that she would help by taking down the terrorist that were in other carts. But not in a regular way...

"Hey, do we have any other word from the other carts?" One of terrorist asks.

 

"No, we lost contact with them."

 

"What?! How?! I bet it's the mil-" the terrorists stop in there movements as they hear heavy footsteps.

 

*thump* *thump* *thump*

 

"What the hell is that?" One of them asks as they look in the direction of where the noise was coming from. They ready their guns. What came from around the corner and to the doorway was a hybrid beast. 

 

It had the body of a bear but had shield shell that went all over it like an armadillo, and red eyes with big teeth. The terrorists scream and immediately start shooting at it as it started running at them. The bear jumps on two of them, knocking them down and then swinging its paw around and knocking the others and the guns down. Only one remained shooting at the beast.

 

The beast seemed to frown almost and walking towards the terrorist, as he crawled back keeping his gun aimed.

 

"You know that hurts" The beast then has lifted scales appear all over (Mystique transformation. Just Mystique transformation) and then reveals Kindness in the beast's place. Kindness simply takes the gun and squeezes it

.

"Now you and your friends stay here, while I go and take out more of your friends." Kindness simply walks past the petrified terrorist, pats him on the head and leaves out the cart door. 

 

"Oh, and if you move, I'll come back and eat you. It wouldn't be too hard.  Au revoir." And then Kindness continues on to cart to cart, petrifying terrorists.

_________________________

 

"*cough* *cough* what the hell, Funsize?" Kindness was currently coughing up water as she was a snake at the moment, wrapped around a pipe she found. Kindness hears gunshots fired in the direction the compartment Hughes was in, who fired at him was the ringleader of this whole operation, Bald. Not a creative name in her opinion.

 

Kindness slithers into the compartments and sees Hughes on the floor holding his bleeding shoulder. She quickly shifts back into human form. She kneels down and pushes pressure on his arm, she takes a handkerchief and wraps it around. 

 

"S-so that’s what Edward meant when he said you're 'special’," Hughes comments as he watches her work. She seemed to know the basic of what was happening and immediately took action at it. "I didn't think he meant, shifting yourself into a snake kind of special."

 

Kindness shyly laughs at that. "I’m surprised he mentions me being special.” _ ‘Okay,  he does but it’s along the lines of fatass or something.' _ Kindness thinks.

__________________________

~Central Train Station, Central City~

 

"There sure are a lot of military soldiers around," Octavia looks around the train station, which was currently overrun by the military. Octavia hums slightly. “Aries, maybe we should wait somewhere more discreet, something dangerous might-” 

 

"Octavia, I can read your thoughts..you don’t have to lie the true reason you wanna wait somewhere with little military around.”  ‘Aries’ simply states as he watches for the train. 

 

"Do you not see the hundreds of military officers here, Aries? What if one of them recognizes you? You’ll probably be-"

 

“Octavia, Octavia, don’t worry about it. Since the academy has affiliations with the military, we fly under the radar.” Octavia looks away from. “I can take of myself Octavia, but thank you for worrying about my well being.” 

 

Octavia sighs at 'Aries' almost carefree nature. She didn't understand how he didn't feel so..out of place or even scared, especially since-

 

"Hey look here comes the train!" 'Aries' pats Octavia’s shoulder, as they both look out towards the tracks."You know from reading the military officers minds. There was a hijacking on the train, so you know what that means?"

 

"That we possibly have a dead student?" Octavia brushes off his arm.

 

"No stop thinking so negative. I don't even wanna tell you now." 'Aries' crosses his arms and they watch as the train pulls up.

___________________________

Ed, Al, and Kindness stand by as the military round up the terrorists and Bald and line them up against the train. The terrorists that recognized Kindness, shivered....'Monster girl'. Bald try to do his act of revenge on Mustang but got his ass fired, literally. He was set on fire and somehow survived. The three find out Mustang knew about the train being attacked yet STILL put Ed and Al on the train.  That obviously put on bad terms about Mustang for Ed.

 

_ 'This is gonna be a wonderful friendship between them.'  _ Kindness thought.

"Kindness!" Kindness heard a man's voice and looks around then sees a tan-skinned man waving her over and standing next to him was a woman with black hair and arms crossed, with a relieved expression now than before, which was a worried one. Kindness walks over to them. "Are your two from CM?" They both nod.

"Octavia Adams," Octavia holds her hand out for a shake. "We spoke on the phone." Kindness shakes her hand and smiles.

 

"It's nice to meet you Ms.Adams." Octavia smiles back. Kindness didn't seem like what 'Aries' described her as when he met, he said she was passive but had a slight aggressiveness to her. But now she seemed all around passive. 

 

Kindness looks at 'Aries' as she was getting a sense of deja vu and a familiar presence source coming from his chest is was exactly like...hers. "I know what your thinking, I didn't introduce myself." Kindness blinks.

 

'Aries' pushes his glasses up and moves his hair out of the right side of his neck. "Chasity Aries, I'm the person who put the card in your pocket." On the right side of his neck was the same tattoo on Kindness back. A blue dove surrounded by a blue wreath and a small blue heart at the top. Kindness eyes widen, she finally found someone else like her. Someone like her who may have answers. Maybe- wait a minute.

 

"You... you're the one who put the card in my pocket? The one I meet in the forest?" Kindness asks slowly as she was trying to process this. Chasity smiles and closes his eyes under his sunglasses. 

 

"Yes, I was~."

 

Ed, Al, and Hughes turn around when they hear Kindness shouting and then a thump. They saw Kindness shouting in French as she was on the ground on top of a man, choking and shaking him. Octavia was just watching the situation and sighs as she knew this would most likely be the outcome of Chastity knocking out a kid, even if they're name is kindness. She told him to stop using gifts to knock people out. 

Ed and Al anime sweatdrop as they knew she was probably mad at the man for some logical reason. Hughes whistle. "Wow, who knew someone with the name 'Kindness' could be so violent."

  
  
  



	6. EP 6- Testing, Testing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Elrics brothers study's for their tests, Kindness does the same with her own test. But thag doesn't mean a she completely shuts out everything, like a weird suspicious from Tucker.

After Kindness got done choking Chastity and cursing him out in French. They took her to the academy, which was pretty huge and almost at the very edge of Central City. Octavia gave that basic outline of the pre-entrance and entrance exams, and Chasity prying into her head from time to time. 

 

Kindness is currently trying to find Ed and Al, she checked the military base but they weren’t there. She decided to use a method that she thought wouldn't work since it might be too out of range. 

 

Kindness sits on knees on top of a building. "Okay maybe this won’t work, I might be too out of range or might get mixed up with everything else." Kindness inhales then exhales. She relaxes and focuses on trying to find a particular smell that relates to either Ed or Al. She finds one, she'll find the other. She didn't get anything after a while, all she smelled was the wind and the many other scents from the bustling business down below. She was ready to try and find them on foot when suddenly she picks up the scent of metal, old books, and depression. 

 

"Found them!"

___________________________

Kindness was led to a huge house and was immediately greeted by a huge white dog which she and a four-year-old girl with brown hair in two braids, Nina Tucker and her dog, Alexander. She immediately loved them, Kindness was always a kid lover and an animal lover. She just had an...instant click with them. But... she can't say the same with Nina's father, Shou Tucker.

 

Now as soon as Kindness meet him she got...bad vibes from him. But she still smiles and introduces herself as a friend of the Elrics and shakes his hand. That burning sensation from her chest starts up. So now here she was talking with Ed or..more like they were both reading and both looking up once in a while.

 

"So right now your studying as much to cram as much alchemy information into that sm-" Ed looks up and glares at her as he gave a silent warning of the word she was about to say. "-smart brain of yours." He slowly looks back into the book.

 

"Yes, the test is very hard and asks various questions on alchemy, I assume. I need to know as much as possible in order to past and become a State Alchemist." Ed simply tells Kindness, but she could hear the determination in his voice. She smiles and nods, she also looks around and saw the many books Tucker had. Maybe he had books on Virtue Mine or-

 

"Kind," Kindness train of thought stops as she hears Al's voice and looks at him. "How did your visits to that school go?"

 

"Well, It's..a simple concept. I have to take a test."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_ Back To a few hours _

 

_ Kindness was in Octavia's office along with Chastity, discussing what she had to do to enter the school. While they were doing this Chastity was trying to go through her head for memories of some sort.  _

 

_ "The pre-entrance is usually the time in which there are the highest amount of students, so it is easy to get lost in names. The real test is the entrance exam, It's a pretty simple as the concept, the exam will ask basic knowledge questions in academics, as it should for an academy. Then hypothetical questions, to test your response skills. Then there will be questions about alchemy, that portion most people don’t score so high in. Finally, there will be a presentation on your gift whether it be your knowledge or physical.”  _

 

_ “Now our school does have ties with the military, the military helps us with some affairs and we vice versa. If you are accepted you'll be placed in a regular class, where you will help on some minor cases that will collab with the military police. If you show something higher you will be placed in a higher class that majorly helps the school and the military, we call it the Military Class.”  _

 

_ “The Military Class helps with the mid-minor cases, there too minor for the upper military, but too high for the police. I am one of the teachers in the military class. Aries-” Octavia gestures to Chastity. “-is also a teacher in that class. I will do you the favor of writing down the date of the exams." Kindness nods in understanding. Chastity walks over suddenly and cups her face, she turns her face from side to side gently.  _

 

_ “Ohh you will be one of my greatest creations” _

 

_ “W-what?”  _

_ "Aries now is not the time. You can do that when she knows you a little better" Octavia bumps her arm against the phone on her desk, causing it to knock over and onto the floor, breaking it. "Great. Just great." _

 

_ "I can fix it for you, Ms. Adams." Kindness hops out of her seat and kneels on the floor. She claps her hands and places them on the floor near the phone. Spirit hands appear and hold the phone pieces and in a cloud of smoke, the phone is back together as it was never broken. Kindness places the phone on the desk and Octavia looks at the phone in awe. "Impressive work, Ms.Virgo.” Octavia comments. Chastity watches and contacts the office telepathic. _

 

_ ‘Hey Ivywood, Remember how you said, you wanted to send a student into the military as a state alchemist?’ _

 

_ ‘Yes, Chastity I remember. We were gonna send in Jinzen. Why do you ask? Do you have someone else in mind?’ _

 

_ ‘Yes I do, she’s one of us, a virtue mine. She seems very good at alchemy but she can also shapeshift.’ _

 

_ ‘Hmmm. I'll be sure to contact the military. Let her know she’s taking another exam, but don’t tell her specifically what it is.’ _

 

_ Chastity smiled and claps his hands catching both Kindness and Octavia's attention. "Congratulations Kindness, because of you little alchemy demonstration. You get something extra in your entry exam." _

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

Present

"Soooo now I have an extra test to take in order to get in. He didn't say what the test was, except I just need to study the alchemy portion a little more than a regular student." Kindness finishes telling her story as she closes the book she finished reading. 

 

"I hope it isn't tougher than the regular exam cause if it is," Kindness hugs the book and rolls over on her side. "I would die."

__________________________

~Dinner~(Kindness POV) 

 

I was picking at my food, pulling it apart, maybe finding something but it looked alright. I have never been so cautious about eating someone’s food, but Mr. Tucker's food doesn’t seem to set off any alarms physically. But the burning pain in my chest says otherwise. 

 

The food isn't poisonous. Tucker and Nina seem fine, Ed hasn't dropped dead and Al can't eat, so he's in the clear. So I guess I can eat it.

 

"Hey, Big sister!" I looked up at Nina, "What are you studying for? Are studying the same thing big brother Ed is?"

 

I laugh a little and should my head. "No, no I'm studying to get into school."

 

"Ohhh. It must be a very smart school if you have to study as hard as Big brother Ed." I nod and smile the went back to eating. Then Nina looked over at Al and asked why wasn't he eating, I think I bend my spoon with my mouth from biting down so hard to keep myself from blurting out something. I quickly move the handle up to put it right back in place. 

___________________________

(Author's POV)

 

   To keep from exposing the news about Al's nonexistent body in the armor, Kindness decided to sleep on somewhere else, like a bookcase or under a table as she suggested. Even after all of Al's protest that she can sleep in his bed.

 

  Kindness was now, lying underneath a table that was near a basement door, as a cat trying to fall asleep. It took a while but her mind was finally clear and she was starting to drift asleep. Her ears perk up when she hears footsteps pass the table, she took an accurate guess of who it was. And when she lifted her head up and looked, to her answer it was Shou Tucker.

 

_   'Bad vibes man. We should probably leave after the exams are over'. _ Kindness thinks to herself. She hears him mutter to himself as he goes down into the basement, in which she heard what sounded like animals screaming and shrieking. The door closes as it, leaving the house dead silent once again. 

 

_   '......Yeah we're definitely leaving after the exams.' _ Kindness stays awake the rest of the night.

__________________________

 The whole gang was out playing in the snow after the Elrics and Kindness were able to pull away from their studies for a while until Major Hughes came by and invited them to got spend Ed's birthday at his house with his wife.  Kindness felt ashamed that she didn't remember Ed's birthday, she knew the month but completely forgot which day.

 

   They arrive at Hughes house and they meet his wife, Garcia. Who was pregnant and looked like she was gonna have a baby any minute from the size of her stomach. In which Ed had to say

 

 "Your stomach's a melon!" Kindness pinches his cheek for that comment. "Ow!". 

"Don't ‘ow’ me, you can't just say that’s very rude."

 

  Garcia asked if they wanted to feel her stomach in which Ed acted like a little girl seeing a dead spider and Nina happily went and felt her stomach. Kindness did too and made her realize how wonderful moms are, able to grow another human inside another human (human-ception). It made her wonder, was her mom like this when she was pregnant with her and Patience? Was this the most normal moment she had with them?

 

   They enjoyed themselves at the party and it was a really fun time. Until..well remember how Garcia said the baby is ready to come "any day", Well right at the exact moment Ed's birthday was that exact day. Hughes ran off to get the doctor and had to go by foot since they was a snowstorm outside. So 4 kids were left with the task of watching over a currently in labor woman, and that person that knew at least what should be happening was in labor.

 

"I can't do this! I'm dying!"

 

"What do we do?! She said she's dying"

 

"She not dying! that just an expression!"

 

"It technically isn't an expression when it's true sometimes."

 

Garcia then closes her eyes and stops screaming.

 

"Oh my god! I knew this would happen! She's dead!" Kindness went to go cry in the corner.

"She not dead, she just fell asleep." Kindness gets out the corner and stands up straight. "I-I knew that."

 

Ed brought a bucket of hot water from the kitchen which later turned cold. He put his hands together and touched the bucket and it transmuted the water hot again. They were pretty shocked, including Kindness, she always thought the reason she did the whole transmutation with her hands was just from the Truth transmutation, but she guesses it also comes human transmutation too. 

 

Luckily and happily, the baby was delivered healthy and safely, Kindness honestly thought the baby was gonna die on their hands. But she didn't, and that's a miracle.

___________________________

All three of them dived back into their studies so hard. So hard, in fact, Kindness didn't realize she hadn't slept in 2 days. It took the boys and Nina for her to realize, they thought that when they go to sleep and she was still awake, that she just goes to bed really late. They realized it when they saw that she was still in the same position as the previous night. 

 

"Hey, Kind?" Kindness looms up from the book to look at All. "Yes, Al?"

 

"How are you able to do the transmutation with your hands?" Al asks and Kindness opens her mouth, the closes it, then opens it again, closes it. She didn't..know how to explain it exactly.

 

"You know...I really can't give you a straight answer when everything is crooked."

 

“Oh..then can you tell me how you stayed awake for 2 days?”

 

“Wait… I was awake for 2 days?”

___________________________

The Elrics E-Day was approaching, but Kindness's E-Day was a lot earlier and currently in front of the academy. 

 

"Okay okay, I can do this. I am the Virgo. Kindness Virgo, The cake eating champion-"

 

"Are these the pep talks you give yourself?" Ed asks as he watches Kindness pace and bounce in every step.

"Yes, Funsize, this is what I do to prepare myself and help calm my nerves." Kindness responds and cracks her neck.

 

"There's no need to be nervous kind, you'll do great." Al says encouragingly.

 

"You can do it, Big sister!" Nina says giving encouragement also, Alexander giving a woof in agreement. 

 

Kindness smiles and cups her cheeks. She hears the school bell signaling test takers to come in. "That's must be for me, let's hope I don't fail!" Kindness runs up the school steps.

 

"Hey, Fatty!" She hears Ed yell and she looks back. "Yeah?!"

 

"Don't flunk this test! If you do, I’ll fight you!" Kindness blinks where did that come from, but she smiles. "I won't be looking forward to fighting you cause I'm gonna pass!" She then laughs and runs into the school.

___________________________

A portal opens inside the military base, inside the Fuhrer office. A man in his late 20's with dark red hair and heterochromia eyes, one blue and one green. He wore a trench coat while wearing a satchel. Fuhrer King Bradley looks up from his cup of tea and paperwork.

 

"Ah, Mr.Knight how wonderful to see you again." Bradley says and 'Knight' nods his head. "Nice to see you again too Sir.Bradley." He reaches into his sachem and takes out a larger envelope and hands it to him.

 

"Here’s the test for the student we discussed, Kindness Virgo." Bradley opens the envelope and looks through the test. "She did very high on the school test, so I could imagine she did exceptionally on the state exam." Bradley closes the test and nods.

 

"From the first few answers, I can tell. I'll have my people take a further look at it." 'Knight' nods and open a portal. "Well, It was nice seeing you again Sir Bradley" as he was about to step into the portal.

 

"One more thing, Mr.Knight," 'Knight' looks at him. "Can you have Mrs.Ivywood, arrange for me to meet Virgo, if possible."

 

"I'm sure it can be arranged." 'Knight then steps into the portal and then it closes.

___________________________

"Soooooo did I pass the tests?" Kindness asks as she walks next to Chastity in the school hallways. "I can't tell you that until results day." 

 

Kindness pouts in disappointment, then she gets an idea. “Ah! Then can you answer this, what are the virtue-”

 

"Wait in here for a moment."

 

Chasity opens a door to a room, that was a little ominous and tense since it was so dark. 

 

Kindness stands outside and mentally curse as she wasn’t able to get the answers she wanted, until she hears a slight knock on the door, signaling her to come in. She walks into the room with caution and jumps slightly when she hears the door slam shut. 'Wow, what a way to make it more creepy.' Kindness finds her way to the center of the room in which a bright light turns on. Kindness mutters and shields her eyes. 

"Is this some type of initiation...."

 

"Hello, Virgo, why don't you take a seat." She sees few men in military uniforms who seem to guard an older man in uniform with a cane and kinda looks like your old grandpa but one that is aging very well, and if he wore an eyepatch. She looks at the chair that was in the middle of the room. It was gold and looked liked a question mark, but it had three legs? It should have been on the floor, laying on its side. Not standing perfectly normal. "Alchemy is the science of balance. If you have the gift it will not refuse you."

 

Kindness blinks at that statement, she looks at the man, then back at the chair. Took a guess that they wanted her to sit on the chair and so she did. She takes a breath and in the chair then relaxes, the chair didn't fall over. The older man smiles. "Very good."

 

"Ummm excuse me, sir? But...who exactly are you?" The men guarding the older man seemed surprised at her question. This girl didn't know who the Fuhrer was? Bradley was surprised too but didn't show it. "I am Fuhrer King Bradley." Kindness makes an 'o' with her mouth. "Your school says that you're very gifted in alchemy?"

 

Kindness flushes slightly at that. "I guess sir. I just fixed a phone, nothing major. A five-year-old could do it.” 

"Not all five-year-olds can make ghost hands appear in their transmutations. And I also heard that you have other abilities?"

 

"That is very much true sir. Shapeshifting" She gives a quick demo by turning her finger into a knife then back. Bradley was very interested now. “A blessing and curse..” 

 

"I'm gonna ask you some...hypothetical questions and you just answer it like a real question." Kindness nods understanding.

 

"Why do you want to join the military?"

 

Kindness thinks about that question. Why would she join the military?...then it hit her.

"If I- I mean, I wanna join the military because my mother,  when I was very young, told me 'You have a gift that people fear and make you a monster, give them a reason not to fear you and prove you’re not a monster.’ and.." Kindness pauses for a moment. "And the military probably has the resources I'm looking for that will help me with a promise I made to my family. I'm not gonna let them down." Bradley nods, satisfied with the answer.

 

"Thank you. Now let us do a hypothetical practical exam."

________________________________________________________

 

~At Clearing field on school grounds~

 

As Bradley, the few military men, and Chastity and 'Knight' who came to see stand on the sideline while Kindness stands in the middle of the field, she stands there thinking. 

 

_ ‘What would I do to impress them? What would I do to impress? What would I do too-’ _ Kindness snaps as she gets an idea. She claps her hands and places them on the ground and blue light appears as the sprint hands appear and bring up the sand really high. It started taking the form of something very huge. 

 

After it was done, everyone was impressed and in awe. There stood a large sand wolf, moving and growling. Kindness turns around and spreads her arms out. "Ta-da!"

 

Everyone claps as Bradley looks at 'Knight', he gives a nod to 'Knight' and he knew what that meant. Chastity smiles  _ ‘Well done, Kindness’ _

___________________________

 

 After E-Day, Both Elrics scored high scores, Which Kindness expected. But one had to drop out or they'll find out they're secret, which Kindness didn't expect. But what matter was that not both of them had to join the military only one of them, thank the gods! Now it the day of demonstrations, the practical test.

 

"I'm off."

 

"Uh not yet!" Nina gives Ed a drawing with all of them and a circle. "It's a circle to help with your wish."

 

"It's great. Thanks, Nina." As he was about to head inside. He was gently pulled back by his hood by Kindness. Ed looks at her. "Do you have a drawing for me too, Kind?"

 

"No you fun sized-doofus, I have something else not, it's not as great and wonderful as Nina, but something." Kindness leans head forehead against Ed's, which he found confusing.

 

"What are you-?"

 

"Some of the greatest minds, have the shown the greatest potential under pressure." Ed blinks at that saying. "You are one of those greatest minds and will do fine. If you don't...I'll fight you."

__________________________

Kindness shields her eyes as she light shines in her eyes and she can see slight...petals?

 

"My gods, what is that light?"

 

"Pretty flowers!" Nina calls out in excitement and Kindness looks up and sees well a giant flower in the sky. She smiles. "Great minds show great potential under pressure. Yes, they do."

  
  



	7. EP 7- Signs in the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Kindness's suspicion of Tucker slowly rises, especially the mystery of his wife. But as fate would have it, they create other plans for Kindness. Getting a better look inside the academy and meeting her fellow classmates, even old childhood *cough*rivals*cough* friends. These moments do take Kindness's mind elsewhere, but that doesn't mean she can ignore the warning signs.

_~Central Millennium Academy, Chastity’s Office- Central City~_

_“I’ve been accepted..but that also came with a joint agreement?” ~Central Millennium Academy, Chastity’s Office- Central City~_

_“I’ve been accepted..but that also came with an joint agreement?” Kindness questions, sitting in front of Chastity’s desk. Tugging on the dark green sleeve of the school shirt, along with the black skirt._

_“Yes, a joint agreement with the military, to strengthen the times between the two parties. We were to choose a student and have them take the academy’s regular tests and military’s were to be labeled as either an extra or hypothetical. This will be our second time doing this, but this time it will be officially marked as one party working for both.” Chastity moves papers around on his desk, stopping when he finds his pen._

_“When was the first time?”_

_“Oh, the first time was when I was a student at the school.”_

_“Eeuh”_

_“Shut it, I'm not that old.” A plastic pen cap was flicked at Kindness’s forehead, she flinches at the small peg. “Moving on, you coming to Central was perfect timing. Humility wanted to place one of our own into the agreement and you came as a second candidate.”_

_“Who was the first?”_

_“Jinzen.” “Oop, you were really gonna put her in?”_

_“I'm not a bad choice if that what you'd implying.” Kindness sees a shadow overcast her, she then feels a very cold hand around the front of her neck. Looking down, the hand was a light blue, shiny, and hard, one of it very sharp nails pointed into the side of her neck. Kindness looks up, seeing the cause of the shadow and owner of the hand was Jinzen. A girl about 16, wearing the school uniform of a dark green long sleeved shirt, a black armband with a gold star and three stripes, and a black skirt passing the knees. Her teal green eyes were turned into slits along with a displeasure look present on her fair face._

_Kindness frowns at her presence, she should have known it was Jinzen Otomeza from the hand. She was the only one who could turn her hands into diamond, in fact, turn her whole body into diamond. Kindness removes the hand from her neck with minimum force. “I would be lying if I said I wasn't, but it's true. You're not really the ‘follow every single order’ type.”_

_“What are you talking about? Of course, I am.” Jinzen asks defensively._

_“Oh, are you? You weren't very following of orders when we were training with Odessa.”_

_“Neither were you or Gwen, in fact, you two were worse.”_

_“Ladies, you both are good candidates and would make a big difference in the military either way. You two don't always have to make a ‘who’s better’ competition out of everything.” Chastity comment causes both girls to sit in silence and ponder for a minute._

_“I would still be a better choice than you.” Jinzen comments._

_“That's debatable.” Kindness retorts._

_“Jinzen, how about you go with your council and drink some tea?” Chastity suggests._

_“Okay okay, I see you just wanna get rid of me, I'll get going. I've got work to be doing anyway, good luck being a State Alchemist Kindness.” With a small wave at the pair, she leaves the office. Kindness looks back at the door, thinking that maybe Jinzen was just jealous of her, highly unlikely, but just maybe._

_“She's not jealous of you,  that's what you were thinking. She just wants you to think that she's actually relieved she didn't get picked.” Chastity’s clarification causes Kindness to blow a raspberry. “The high and mighty, Jinzen, jealous of me? That'll be the day.”_

_“Today, you'll be meeting your commanding officer. They wanted to put you under a Brigadier General, but seeing the guy, I wouldn't allow it.” Chastity grabs a small piece of paper and writes something down. “That man would use you for every dirty deed there is in the book. So, we negotiated until we were satisfied.” Chastity hands Kindness the piece of paper in which she takes._

_Kindness reads over the writing. “So I will report to this person the progress of my assignments, and will also be the one giving them to me.”_

_“You're grabbing on quickly. He should be easy to remember, his last name is the breed of a horse.” Chastity looks around his desk once again, until he realizes where it is. “Now give me back my pen cap, it belongs to my good pen.”_

_______________________________________________________________________

~Central Military Command, Mustang’s Office- Central City~

"Huh? Kindness what are you doing here?" Ed asks, confused. He didn't remember her being at anything that was related to the state exams. He doesn't even remember her showing any interest in the military.

"Oh um it's..a long story." Kindness answers, rubbing the back of her neck.

“So you two know each other already? Good. That makes things in the future easier.”

Both She and Ed get a silver watch thrown at them. Ed barely catches his and Kindness catches hers at the very last minute, a high risk of getting smacked in the nose if she hadn't. ‘What an interesting design,’ She traces the pattern. ‘I wonder where they got the idea of the lion from.’

"You know I was expecting something more ceremonial. Trumpets or something."

"Sure Edward. Congrats, you two are dogs of the military now."

"Harsh.." Roy looks at Kindness as she made that comment.

"Lieutenant Havoc, take Edward home," Kindness gets ready to turn and leave, maybe she could find a desolate window or an abandoned office to leave out-. "Kindness, you stay for a minute." Kindness both stops her mental planning and turning to leave.

After Edward leaves, Kindness asks her question in a respectful manner. "What is it you wanted to talk about, Sir?"

"So you're the girl that's in the joint agreement, an alchemist and a shapeshifter, I hear?” Roy looks down at the file he currently had on Kindness. “You was also the one that traumatized a few terrorists during the Bald incident with your shapeshifting, an..armored bear with red eyes they described.”

“Y-yes” Kindness nervously responds she was practically sweating a river at these questions. “Um, Sir, is….is my shapeshifting going to be a problem with me working under your command?”

"No, it's not going to be a problem, it will, in fact, be a big help."

"Can you shapeshift into something right now?” Kindness eyes widened in disbelief, before nodding eagerly. “Of course, u-umm..” The young girl takes out her butterfly hair tie, letting her black and blue hair fall to her chest, looking around the room to find something to shift into before her sights land on Riza. She quickly slips the hair tie onto her wrist. “May I?”

Riza blinks before nodding, giving her permission. Kindness smiles before inhaling, holding her arms behind her back like Riza, concentrating on her looks as well. Blue reptile scales flared up, creeping from the down-up when they faded another Riza Hawkeye was present. Both Roy and Riza’s face held a look of amazement, which was no surprise since it's not every day you see a girl appear as another Riza.

“That's very impressive.”

“Thank you, Sir, but people aren't really my strong suit.” Kindness spoke in Riza’s voice. The blue reptile scales come and go once again revealing the original Kindness. “I guess I'll have to work on that more since you'll probably need people more than animals.”

“Yes and Thank you, You can leave now, Kindness.” Kindness nods and walks out of the office calmly, once the door closes, her back leans against the door and slides down, breathing out in relief.

“She's a very special girl, Sir.” Riza comments, earning a nod of agreement from Roy. “She is indeed, Hawkeye.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Kindness was wandering the military base hallways, scanning the large windows along the wall to find one with a latch. "Hey Kindness!" Kindness hears a familiar voice, she turns around to the person.

“Ah! Mr. Hughes, how nice to see you once again.” Kindness says, giving a benevolent smile  

“Nice to see you again too. What are you doing here?” Hughes asks.

"Well Mr.Hughes or Major Hughes, as I should be calling you now,” Kindness takes out the pocket watch from her white skirt pocket. “I came here for this.” She holds out the pocket watch for Hughes to see.

“Oh! So you're the one they chose for the joint agreement. Congratulations.” Hughes congratulates Kindness.

“Huh, so does everyone know about this joint agreement?” Kindness pockets the watch, starting to walk down the hallway again.

“Almost everyone, the news is spreading fast of the military receiving two of the youngest State Alchemist in history, one being both a shapeshifter and a girl.”

“Is something wrong with me being a girl?” Kindness questions, she had a feeling her gender was going to come up a lot in her work.

“No, no, no don't think that it's just a surprise to everyone. We've never had a female State Alchemist before.” Hughes reassures her, “Then again we’ve never had a shapeshifter before either.”

“I can guess that,” Kindness looks back at the windows, searching for the latch once again, a sadden look present on her fair face. “Hey, I have something that will make you feel better.” Hughes digs into his jacket pocket and brings out a picture.

Kindness looks back at him to see a picture baby Elysia. "Isn't she adorable? The most adorable baby in the world~!” Hughes gushes over his baby daughter. "Yes, she is very adorable. I'm surprised you have so many pictures of her already, me and my mom still don’t have as many pictures of my little sister, Patience, and she’s already 7.”

"Do you have a picture of your family?” Hughes asks, in which Kindness stops and pats around her skirt. “Yes! I do in fact..somewhere. Wait, I know where I put it.” She digs into the side of her sock and whips out a picture, holding it out to Hughes. “Please don’t ask why I kept it there.”

Hughes looks at the picture that appeared to be a few months old, with a woman with black hair and dull green eyes, holding a little girl about 6 or 7 with black hair in pigtails and the same bright green eyes as Kindness. Hughes assumed the older woman was her mother and the little girl was Patience, Kindness's little sister. Looking at her family, it made him wonder if her sister and mother were like the Kindness, did she inherit her abilities from her mother or...

“Where’s your father?” Hughes hands the photo back to Kindness, in which she shrugs at the question and places the photo back into its original place.“I don’t really know, he left a few months after Patience was born and all I have of him is his journal, but I do remember what he looks like.” Bright green eyes scan the windows before landing on a specific one, a window with a latch. “Ah! I knew there had to be one.”

Kindness quickly ties her hair back before walking over and unlatching the window, pushing it open, she slowly climbs up and balances herself on the wooden still. “Wait, what are you doing?!” Hughes quickly asks, is she really going to jump from the window? He believes she’s a girl of many gifts, but not this one. The older girl looks back at Hughes.  “Going back to the estate, I have to tell my mother the great news. The way to the exit will take too long so I can just shift into a bird and fly from her, cut down on time.” She explains as if it’s the most normal thing in the world, preparing to shift into a bird and fly, something pops into her head. “Major Hughes, what do you know about Mr. Tucker? Something doesn’t sit right with me about him.”

_______________________________________________________________________

~Tucker Estates- Central City~

*RING*RING*RING*RI- “Hello, Virgo residence?" Angeline’s voice reaches the phone, something a little tired.

"Hello, Mama." Kindness smiles as she hears her mom's voice.

_"Kindness oh my god it so good to hear your voice. You never called me and let me know anything, or even that you made it to Central safely. Or any of the stops on the way there. Are you safe? Did your exams go well? How are the Edward and Alphonse? You didn't-" Angeline starts asking questions at a fast rate._

"Mama, mama," Kindness stops her mom's worried questions. "I'm alright, in fact, we're all alright. Somewhere safe? Yes and no.”

_“What do you mean, yes and no?”_

“The house, yes, I believe is safe. The host, no, he gives off bad vibes. Besides that, how's Pati? She hasn't been in trouble since I left?" Kindness asks quickly changing the subject, she really didn’t want her mom worried.

_"Patience is doing fine, she misses you a lot. She doesn't have her big sister around anymore, but she getting through. She’s actually been staying over at Pinako’s for the past few days. So how did the CM exam go? Did you get accepted?"_

"Yeah about that, you see the school put me in a joint agreement with the military. So not only will I be attending CM, which is great by the way, I will also be... " Kindness sucks in a breathe, “..the second youngest and first female State Alchemist.” She quickly tells out the answer.

_“A joint agreement, between CM academy and the Military, and you are the lucky chosen girl.” Angeline gives a little laugh. “My, My you must have really impressed them, my little butterfly.”_

“You’re..you’re not mad?”

_"No, no, I’m not mad, I’m really proud of you.  I’ll admit, I never agreed with the things the Military did, certain events, more now than ever. But I feel like you can change that. I’m surprised they even let you guys join at a young age, but when you need dogs, you’ll take anything you get, pups and all.”_

"Mama are you alright?” Kindness notices something was odd with her mom’s voice, it sounded like she was very tired. “You aren’t sick or anything?”

_"You could say that, butterfly. It’s one of the reasons Patience isn’t home with me, she probably trying to find some cure or something, always was an intelligent girl like you and the Elrics. ”_

“Yeah, they’re intelligent....” Kindness watches as Ed tries to get his watch back from Alexander. How did he even let the dog get it? “...at times. But that doesn’t excuse her, she should be home with you, watching you.”

_“Kindness, I’ll be fine. Please don’t be so hard on your sister.” Angeline mutters the last part, she drags a slender fair finger across the dust-covered table. “You two have to have each other's back now.”_

Kindness twists the phone cord, staring down at the floor. The Virgo girls as they grew up, Kindness did become slightly harder on Patience. She didn’t know why back then, but when she left home for Central, she realized that one day she was gonna leave home and someone had to be strong to standby mom while she was gone, that person had to be Patience.

_“Mmm, I just realized something, butterfly. You will be protecting and helping people, regular humans, like me. And some of those people are not going to want your help...do you know why?”_

“Because I’m different, and people don’t like things that aren’t normal, so much that they would rather perish than accept help from a freak?”

_“Stop that, stop that right now, you’re not a freak.” Angeline quickly snaps at her daughter, she always hated when Kindness put herself down like that. “Yes, you are different but it’s not freaky and it’s not ugly. People will have to learn to live with that, like people back here in Resembool, and learn that you might be the only help they’ll get. Maybe, they’ll see past the girl who can shapeshift, a monster or freak in their eyes, and see someone more than that, someone...human.”_

"Someone human...” Kindness mutters to herself, thinking over the statement, she has always been conflicted about that word. Half of her mind knew that she was different and nowhere near human besides her mother-maybe her father-. But the other half wanted nothing more than to be considered human and not a freak. The older girl is pulled from her thoughts when she could hear distant growling from somewhere in the house. “Mama, I..I will have to call you back, okay?”

_“Okay...Je t’aime, mon petit papillon.”_

Kindness smiles at the goodbye. “ _Je t’aime aussi_ , mama. And try to get some rest.” With that, she hangs up the phone, now focusing her full attention and ears on the mystery sound. Upon following the noise, it leads to a very dark hallway with no windows and very little light source. Kindness inhales and exhales, to try and remove the feeling of anxiety before walking down the hallway. She comes upon a stairway that descends down to where the growling was more louder and clear, the girl makes a slow venture downstairs.

(Kindness POV)

The growling became more clear and loud and sounded like multiple creatures this time. Walking off the last step and now fully into the dimly lit room, which was full of cages making the room kinda small, but it did lead to a hallway that only turned right, to another room I assume. I walk around and look into the cages, which were full of chimeras, understandable since this does tie in with Tucker’s research.

Hughes gave me a small overview of Tucker, his wife is out of the picture so it’s only him, Nina, and Alexander. His military background is very interesting, two years ago he created a chimera that could speak the human language, for his research and annual assessment, sadly it died shortly after, but it only said: “I want to die.” I never took chimeras to be suicidal. What interests me is how he manage to make it speak, that answer is probably in his research notes.

“Ow!” I jump back as I felt something sharp swipe across my leg. On instinct, I immediately shifted my hand into a  looked down and turned my leg over, seeing the blue glowing stripes cover the claw marks, healing them. My attention is on the cage that held the culprit, a chimera that looked quite like a dog.

“Hey buddy,” I cooed, kneeling down in front of the cage and held out my hand in front of the chimera. This wouldn’t be safe considering the dangerous sharp teeth that looked ready to bite my hand off, but I wasn't worried. If this chimera was mixed with a dog, then it should have the same behaviors when people approach them. The chimera continues to growl,

backing away even. It probably knows something off about me.“Hey, Hey, I'm not going to hurt you.” I spoke softly, waiting for the mutt’s response.

The chimera finally stops growling as it sniffs my hand before it licks and rubs his head into my hand. “See? I'm harmless, there's no need to be hostile.” I started scratching behind the chimera’s ears, which cause it to start panting. Just like a regular dog. Suddenly the chimera stops panting before it backs away from my hand and starts growling again, Did I do something?

“I would be careful with the animals, they can be very aggressive.” I stiffened up before standing and facing Tucker.

“M-Mr.Tucker, I can explain. I was um...um,”

“Your hand...” Tucker cuts me off as he walks closer to me, I step back a little. “I’m not going to hurt you, I just wanna see.” The man slowly grabs my sword shifter arm, careful not to cut himself, and examines it. I was very….uncomfortable can’t even describe it.

“They said you were a shapeshifter, I didn’t really believe it at first until I saw you as a cat, underneath the table.” I nod my head quickly before shifting my hand back to normal. “Guess you had to see it to believe it.” I pulled my arm out of his grasp, I laugh nervously.“Guess you had to see it, to believe it.” I didn’t need any small action getting him upset, the stunt I pulled coming down here is dangerous enough.

“Yes I did, I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.” Tucker pushes up his glasses before giving a small laugh. “This explains a lot about you, why the chimeras like you, maybe even your name,” I nod in agreement, holding my arm as if it was going to be stolen from me. “You know, your abilities are something science would consider a breakthrough-”

“They would see me as a science experiment.” I quickly cut him off, I could see where he was going with that sentence. “I’m sorry for cutting this short, but I should be leaving. Sorry for coming down here.” I make quick haste to the stairs to leave this damned basement as quickly as possible.

“You’re a girl full of surprises...” Tucker’s comment stops me in the process of going up the stairs. I don’t know if it was meant as a compliment, an insult, or something more, but I know I didn’t want to stay any longer to figure out. Without responding to his comment, I continue walking up the stairs, but now little faster.

_______________________________________________________________________

_~Dream~_

_Kindness was back once again at the all too familiar pale yellow room, sitting crossed legged in front of both the large stone gate and the being Truth. “Hey Truth?” “Yes?”_

_“If you basically know everything, what can you tell me about Tucker?” Kindness knew that Truth had something on Tucker, he knows every little detail about everyone living and dead._

_“I can't tell you that.” Kindness blinks, why can't he? Does she need to give up her finger or her tongue for that information? “Why not?”_

_“Cause where's the fun in that, Katherine~?” So he was purposely withholding information, man she forgot how much of an asshole Truth was._

_“Da, fine.” Kindness leans her face into her hand, frowning. “And for the last time, my name isn’t Katherine.” The girl falls back to lay down, she was stuck with her until she woke up. Her bright green eyes trained on the pale yellow sky for what seemed like hours, before a question comes to mind. “Tucker said that two years ago, his wife left. He doesn’t give many details on where she went. That doesn’t sit well with me, he should know some accurate details on her whereabouts because Nina most likely wants to keep in contact with her mom. So can you tell me where Tucker’s wife is?” There was a silence after the question as Truth was thinking of a response._

_“Tucker knows exactly where his wife is, he just tells everyone a different story. But Tucker’s wife did experience a fate created by Tucker himself, the same fate his daughter and dog will experience.” Kindness sits right up at that the last part. “What going to happen to Nina and Alexander? What happened to his wife?” Kindness quickly asks, silenced was followed from Truth. “Answer me dammit!.... Please?”_

_“Oh, it looks like our time together is up, you’re waking up, Katherine.”_

_~Dream Ends~_

Kindness was sleeping peacefully under the table as a cat once again, when a small portal, opened up above her head and dropped out a crumpled piece of paper on her head, closing immediately after.

*plop*

“H-huh?” Kindness wakes up as the paper bounces off her head and right in front of her. “When did this get here?” Kindness takes her paws and unravels the paper to reveal it was a note.

_Please come to the academy. Room M-413. We need to discuss a few things_

_Chastity’_

Kindness yawns. “Guess I am going to be busy with other affairs.” She peaks her head from under the table to look out the window, it wasn't even dawn yet. “Really? Why do you need me at school so early?”

_______________________________________________________________________

Kindness managed to break through her tiredness quickly and made an early morning journey to the academy. The academy was near the south edge of Central city, right near the tracks that lead you to the city of Tiefthal. But since it was early morning, meaning not as many people were out, it was easy to make quick haste to the academy.

Upon reaching the academy gates, the schoolyard was barren with no living bodies in sight, which was pretty normal. Entering the academy, it was night and day, students were bustling about and talking with each other, the continuous sea of dark green and black never seemed to dispense.

‘Is it always like this every morning? I know school starts this early, but not this early. The sun hasn’t even risen yet.’ Kindness looks around in amazement until she stops at the map on the wall, showing the floors of the school. They were labeled with letters, from the bottom floor to top floor it went BA,-for the basement- A, B, C and M. The room she was supposed to go to is M-413, meaning she was supposed to go to the M floor. With that, she mischievous herself through the crowd to the stairwell. Reaching the M floor, she immediately noticed there were fewer students on this level, walking further down the hallways, it seemed to disperse less.

_405...407…409...411…_

“413..” Kindness stops in front of the door and knocks gently, before entering. Kindness is meet with the sight of a room that looks like a seamstress’s workshop. There were a few mannequins, lined up along the wall. An abundance of fabrics, most were nicely folded and stored in cubbies while some sprayed the floor. A three-paneled mirror was placed on the wall right next to a closet, which she assumed had more fabrics or supplies inside.

The desks were arranged in an “L” layout, full of scribbles of designs, pieces of cloth and a sewing machine. Chastity was seated at one of the desks was currently occupied by drawing something.

“Hello Kindness, if you don't mind,” Chastity points towards the three-paneled mirror wall, without looking up from his work, “Could you stand over there for me? I'll be right with you in a moment.” Kindness looks at the mirrors before walking over, she sees the stool in the middle and decides to stand on it. “Sorry if you had to deal with the crowd of students, but that’s something you’ll have to get used too.” “Seems awfully early for them to be here.” Kindness’s eyes drift to the closet that was next to the mirror, it was cracked open and inside she could see a male mannequin dressed in dark clothing, the hood was up and was wearing the familiar google and mouthguard. It finally clicked in Kindness's head. ‘That’s the outfit Chastity was wearing back in the town with the Majhal incident. But why is it hidden away?’

“I’m not hiding it, I’m just simply storing away for when I join the field again, ” Chastity reaches over his desk to retrieve the measuring tape, he gets up from his desk and walks over and behind Kindness, “Plus for modifications, I’m thinking about ditching the goggles and mouthguard, the hood does enough of the mysterious look. Hold still now.”

Kindness relaxes when she sees Chastity, simply wrapping the measuring tape around her waist, from the mirror. She also took notice to see, the man wasn't wearing his sunglasses instead was wearing regular glasses, and now could clearly see the color of his eyes, which were...

_‘Red? His eyes are red. Red eyes, tan skin..where are those features found in?’_

“Ishvalans.” Kindness looks at Chastity in question. “Those features are found in Ishvalans. In which, if you haven’t noticed now, I am one.” Chastity removed the tape from her waist, draping it around his neck. “I personally didn’t think Virtuemines would be so diverse. It didn’t click until I finally figured out how to control my mind reading and researching into Virtuemines, that the Gate doesn’t care about race, It’s all about who’s worthy.” Chastity removes the measuring tape from his neck. “Really?” Kindness questions in excitement, finally getting a clue closer to her self-discovery. “I don’t know for sure, but from what I gathered, it sounds reasonable enough. Raise your arms up a little.” Kindness excitement dissolves, a pout forming on her face before lifting her arms slightly, the measuring tape goes around her chest. “So you're a couturier?”

“Mhm, while on my mission of self-discovery, the subject of clothes has always stuck to me. Maybe I get it from my mom or grandma.” Chastity tightens the measuring tape a little, before moving to measure her arms and legs.

“Am I going to be one of your live models?” Chastity shakes his head, walking back to his desk. “No, I have mannequins for that, I'm simply taking your measurements for your suit. You can step down.” Kindness nods before hopping down and following him. Chastity picks up a small notebook and starts writing down her measurements. “With your measurements similar to Jinzen, it wouldn't be so hard. If you didn’t have her chest, waist, and the bane of existence-” He looks up and almost glares at Kindness upper legs. “-thighs.”

Kindness blinks and looks down at her thighs. “What’s wrong with them? I mean, I know they’re big, but I still have a thigh gap.” The man could almost hear the sadness break through her voice and quickly tries to dispense that feeling away.

“Wait! Nothing’s wrong with your thighs or your body. Don’t change yourself, I know you're planning to do it for my convenience. Don’t.” Chastity received a nod from the girl. “Good. Now you like to eat cake, a lot, do you see where I’m going? You eat more cake, which goes straight down, making bigger thighs and a bigger butt. Which are second and third on my top five banes of my existence, when making clothes.”

“What’s the first?”

”Chest”

“And the fifth?”

“No pockets.”

“I have to agree with Poker on the fifth option. I can’t stand clothes without pockets. Where the hell am I supposed to put my liq- I mean medicine.” a new voice that sounded elderly joined, “But the suits aren’t literally- god forbid they were-suits. They’re clothes made for the military class students for their practical and destructive assignments. Keeps the cost of uniforms at a minimized level.” An elderly man, in his 60s-70s with gray hair and dark eyes, walks in with a slight limp in his step and a cane. The man walks up to Kindness, in which she realizes he's a very short man, he seemed to only come up past her stomach and could make Ed seem taller.

“So,” the man sizes her up, “this is the joint student with the academy and Military?”

“Yes, sir.” Chastity replies, going back to his notebook.

“Also a shapeshifter and virtuemine like you?”

“Yes again, sir.”

The man lets out a ‘tch’ with that response, almost like he was disappointed at what he sees. “When you said she was young I expected someone in their late teens, not a 13-year-old child.”

“Excuse me sir, but who are you?” Kindness finally asks the elderly man, he must be an important person to the academy if Chastity refers to him as ‘sir’.

“Mortimer Burton, one of the teachers at the academy, but you refer to me as Mr.Burton, Shifty.” Mr. Burton calls Kindness, already giving her a nickname.

“He's not just any teacher,” Kindness looks at Chastity, “he's the defense teacher for the military class and some regular classes, been in the same position since I was a student in the military class. He probably should've died years ago, but none of us are complaining. Mr. Burton is the best in the game, despite his old withering age.” Chastity comments, in a teasing and joking matter.

“Shut the hell up, Poker, I'm still in my prime. And you-” Mr.Burton uses the handle of his cane-in which it was in the shape of a lion- to move Kindness head to look at him again. “-are coming with me to meet your fellow heathen classmates. Poker, I'm taking her.”

“Be my guess, I’m finished with her.”

“Don't I-”

“No.” Mr.Burton firmly states as he moves the handle of cane into her collar of her shirt, making sure the lion’s teeth hook into the fabric, and drags her out the room.

_______________________________________________________________________

Mr.Burton continues to drag Kindness down the hallway until they reach a classroom labeled ‘M-428’. He released his cane from her shirt before opening the door and walking in, Kindness follows slowly after him.

The classroom was empty on immediate first entry, but also had a high ceiling, the dark oak desks arranged in a crescent moon fashion and going up like steps. Stationed in front of the room, was the big, dark mahogany, that seemed to pair well with the long, green chalkboard, on the wall behind it. The white walls held tall, archway windows that now show the light blue sky arriving, an official sign of morning.

Mr. Burton immediately takes notice of the first row of student desks, was a large mechanic arm with wires, bolts, and tools sprayed around it. And was now dripping with oil onto the desk and floor. Oh, he was going to murder those sisters. Kindness walks closer to the arm, inspecting it. ‘That looks a lot like automail, something Winry would work on. But it's awfully big? Maybe for a big person? The craftsmanship does look familiar…’

“Damn, sisters. I swear, I must have to hot brand the message across their asses like cattle, for them to not work on their messy projects in the classroom.”

On cue the classroom door opens, Mr.Burton looks to meet a girl about 16-17, she had tan skin and white hair, reaching her shoulders. She wore the schools uniform, the black and gold armband, and a red scarf. The mystery girl carried the box of supplies, to the desk Kindness was standing at.

“Hello, Mr. Burton.” The girl greets setting the box down.

“Ah Mini-Poker, glad you're here. Where are those sisters at?”

“They're getting supplies from their workshop.” The white-haired girl notices Kindness, still looking at the mechanical arm. “Is this the new student?”

“Yeah is it, Shifty!” Kindness turns her attention to Mr.Burton, in which he gestures his hand to the white-haired girl. “Introduce yourself, she'll be one of your classmates.”

Kindness blushed in embarrassment before turning to the girl and sticking her hand out. “Hi, I’m Kindness Virgo, it's nice to meet you.” Her eyes widen when she sees the girl’s eyes. Her eyes were a milky white where the color was supposed to be, and the pupil was a light grey instead of black. _‘She’s blind?’_ Her bright green eyes divert down to her fair outstretched hand. _‘Awww now I feel just like a bitch. I probably look so rude right now.’_ Her mental self-torturing stops when a tanned hand, firmly grasps her fair one, giving a nice shake.

“It's nice to meet you too, I'm Lue Aries. Welcome to our class.” Lue points towards her eyes and laughs. “I'm not blind by the way, it's just a condition I was born with that takes all the pigments from my eyes, even the color red. So please don’t beat yourself up about it.”

Kindness makes a face of relief, at the cleared up misconception. _‘Oh good. I wouldn't want this to be my first impre- ‘_ Her mental relief stops when she finally registers Lue’s last name. _‘Wait, she said her last name was Aries, does that mean she's related to Chastity somehow?’_

“Yes,” Lue responds, “Sorry about going in your head but I read your question and yes, we are related. He's my father.” Kindness shakes her head. “Oh no, you don’t have to be sorry. I’m already used to your dad going in my head. ”

The door opens as a girl with short blonde hair and slight light brown tips, wearing the school uniform with the sleeves pushed up and the skirt slightly higher. She was carrying in a box similar to Lue’s. “Oi Lue, Is Burton in-” She stops when her dark green eyes see Mr.Burton inside the class, his elderly face holding a displeasure frown. “Oh guess that answers my question.” The short girl sets the box down on the closest desk to the door and starts to unpack the items.

Kindness’s bright green eyes squint at the familiar voice. “Gwendolyn Pisces?” The blond, Gwendolyn, stops unpacking the items and looks at Kindness, her dark green eyes squint in displeasure. “Kindness fucking Virgo, da hell are you doing here?”

“She’s a new joint agreement student, we’ve been talking about for weeks.”

“The new joint student is here?” another girl comes in, this time with brown hair with black roots and tips and taller than Gwendolyn, excited at the hearing of the new student.  The new girl’s darker green gaze land on Kindness, she gasps. “Kindness?!”

“Clementine!” Kindness barely had time to register the tight bear hug she was engulfed by Clementine, she returns the hug. “My you’ve gotten so tall, I remember when you barely came up to my shoulders.” Kindness pulls away to get a better look at her old friend. She was obviously taller, despite being two years younger than Kindness, she developed some muscle, and her peachy skin was slightly tan, most likely from long sun exposure.

“I don’t know about that, but you’re almost as tall as Jinzen. Uh...Gwenny, sadly, hasn’t gotten any taller since then.” Kindness looks at Gwen, at Clementine’s passive-aggressive comment. Gwen had developed the same slight tan to her peachy skin and some muscle development. But her blond hair was cut to a boyish style and her stature was well, short, maybe shorter by Ed two to three inches. “I can painfully see...” Kindness noticed even more major differences in the sister’s appearances, they were like polar opposites. Clem tall, Gwen short. Clem had at least a B chest, while Gwen was practically A to flat chest. Clem had a vase body type while Gwen had some curvature. In summary to Kindness, It seemed Gwen and Clem have developed the Ed and Al predicament, the youngest looked the oldest and the oldest looked the youngest. Gwen was the oldest, by a year, but looked like Clem’s boyish little sister.

“Hey! It’s a working development, the milk does work. Which reminds me...” Gwen pulls out a small glass bottle of milk from her skirt pocket. “Good. Still cold.”

 _‘She holds milk in her skirt pocket?’_ Kindness mentally questions, with a ’are you serious?’ face. “Yes, if anything she wears or carries has pockets, believe it has milk in at least one or two. The most I’ve seen her carry in one go is five.” Lue answers the mental question.

“What have I told you two nuts,” Mr. Burton points at Clem and Gwen, then at the mechanical arm on the desk. “About working on your damn solar-powered robots in the classroom? We have a workshop for a reason dammit.”

“It’s not a robot, it’s an automaton,” Gwen walks over to the desk and picks up the large mechanical arm with ease, slinging it over her shoulder. “And it won’t be solar powered, it’ll be powered by wiring and alchemy. Although a solar-powered automaton is would be nice.”

“And besides sir, the workshop is under cleaning maintenance at the moment from our last testing project, it covered the whole place in black soot. We’re sorry, Sir. If it will make you feel better, sister and I will clean up any oil spills on the floor.” Clem bows her head in apology, both for her and her sister. Gwen can be apologetic but shows it in a very bad way to certain people, that can be slightly offensive. So, Clem is the one who has to step in and make sure no one gets offended.

“Ya nuts better clean up any oil you spill, and while your add, find another place to ticker while the workshop’s down.” Mr. Burton gestures to the sisters. “Shifty, if you haven’t picked up yet, these Nuts are the academy’s amateur engineers. They’re good, I’ll give them that, but amateurs.”

“That may sound like an insult, but it’s actually a compliment. You might get a lot of those or less.” Lue pats Kindness’s shoulder.  “But Gwen and Clem are very good at what they do. You’ll probably find them in the classroom, their workshop, or, specifically Gwen, in Ms. Adam’s office arguing with her.” Lue turns to look at Gwen, as she was wrapping the arm up, giving a neutral look. “You really need to stop arguing with her.”

“Not until she stops giving me 89.9999. Where the hell are my rounding up points? She knows damn well she can round them up, I've seen her do it!” Gwen rants in which Lue rolls her eyes, “Or more importantly, stop using her freaky fire tricks to heat up my milk, the smell is terrible.”

Mr.Burton rubs the back of his neck, “Aye, you brats are gonna be the death of me. There’s also Diamond, she’s in the class also, but you’ll likely find her in the council room.”

“Diamond?...Diamond…” Kindness ponders on the nickname until it clicks on who it could be. “You mean Jinzen?”

“Aye, she's our student council president, really good at her position and work, but always daydreaming dammit. But a nice few taps across the head with the cane always works. She also can’t miss my class, her collection of tea is in here.” Mr. Burton points with his cane at the small closet in the room.

“She has a collection of tea?”

“Yeah,” Clem walks over and opens the closet door to reveal at least two shelves full of silver cylinder cans with different colored bands. “Of different flavors. All arranged by primary aroma, secondary aroma, if necessary, tertiary aroma, and finally alphabetically.”

“She’s planning to move them soon to the council room,” Gwen sets the arm down and cracks her knuckles, walking over to the closet with a devious smile. “But I decided, until now, to mess with her before she moves them.”

“Now that’s just rude, Gwen.” Kindness maturely states before the same devilish expression appears on her face. “Rude that you wouldn’t invite me to join in.”

Mr. Burton, Lue, and Clem, all hold a look of tiredness, tired the upcoming mischief and disaster that will be stirred up by the eldest Virgo and Pisces, and later, the only Otomeza.

_______________________________________________________________________

“You're really charitable Jinzen, you took the time out of your busy, tea sucking, day to escort me back home.” Kindness words drip with sass walking a beside Jinzen.

“Trust me, I wouldn't be doing this if Mr.Burton hadn't threatened to hit me across the head with a cane.” Jinzen returns the same amount of sass back at Kindness.

Kindness had spent her whole morning and half the afternoon at the academy, most of it spent rearranging Jinzen’s tea collection with Gwen. When it was time for her to return to Tucker's home, Mr.Burton gave Jinzen the task of accompanying her back safely, Why her? Well, Mr.Burton’s reason- Because I said so, now do it or I'm giving you a few smacks of courtesy and sense into your head with my cane.- so they can catch up on old times.

“I don't why you worry about getting smacked across the head. You can turn into pure diamond, which basically makes worrying about getting hurt….pointless.”

“And I don’t see why you manually change your clothes. You can shapeshift into any form, which basically makes owning clothes…..pointless. I can tell that you like owning clothes. So, think of my situation as...I just don’t like getting hit.”

“Hm, well played, Jinzen.” Kindness shoves her hands into her pockets. “You know I thought I never say this, but I actually missed your sass..maybe your company too.”

“Heh,” Jinzne lets out a small laugh before playfully punching Kindness’s cheek. “Right back at you.”

They arrived upon Tucker’s home, Kindness slows her pace before completely stopping at the sight of military-issued vehicles parked outside the house, it wouldn't be weird if there wasn't more than two parked outside.  Jinzen pushes the black armband higher up her arm, for it to be seen more clearly in case someone asks for identification.

“I know this...Tucker guy, works for the military, but is there usually this much personal outside her?”

“No, not this much. There’s usually one present when someone comes by..” Kindness looks at the front of the house. “I'll go check, I'll come back out to let you know what’s going on.”

Kindness quickly walks through the gates and up to the house’s doors, entering, she’s immediately greeted by Alexander. She gives a few scratches behind the ears before looking up and facing Al and Nina standing by.

“Hey, guys, what's up with all the military?”

“The military is here, it looks like they're here for brother.”

“Is he in trouble?” That question could have two reasons. One is Ed in danger trouble like life wise?. Or two, was Ed in trouble from causing damage to something?

“Why would Big Brother be in trouble, Big sister?”

“Well, Funsize can be…” Kindness pauses to find the right words. “...a bit of a magnet to trouble.”  

“So you're the joint academy student, judging by your uniform.” The statement comes from a man with tan skin and a black mustache that just grew out and then went back, almost like arrows, wearing the blue military uniform, walking down the stairs. He looks at the uniform she was wearing and recognized it. “The female shapeshifter and State Alchemist.” The man with obvious high authority walks down the stairs and has a few soldiers around him.

“Yes, sir.” Kindness looks at the shoulder marks on his jacket and notices they're just gold with no stars, representing a rank that the girl was still trying to learn. “and you are?” The surrounding soldiers looked surprised, this girl didn't who this man was? Then again she didn’t even recognize Bradley.

“You don't know who I am, girl? I'm Brigadier General Basque Grand, The Iron-Blood alchemist. I expected from you, a girl they said was smart and had potential, would recognize immediately,” Grand lets a huff from his ever-present frown face. “I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.”

 _‘Rude connard.’_ Kindness thinks as she tries to not show any facial expression of displeasure from his comment, but still lets a small frown slip. “I'm sorry my first impression doesn't...satisfy you, sir.”

“You know something girl, you seem like a snooper. Tell me,” Grand leans down to her height, maintaining eye contact. “Do you have an interest in Shou Tucker’s research, Virgo? Like Elric.” Grand asks with suspicion. Kindness couldn't just say a full ‘yes’ or trying to find out where his wife disappeared. “Not really sir, well maybe a mild curiosity-”

“That’s enough, I'm ordering you to leave this residence.”

“...I'm sorry what?”

“The Sewing-Life alchemist is one of my top priorities, and I can't have people like you or Elric snooping around. Therefore, you are ordered to leave this residence.”

_______________________________________________________________________

“Where are you going, Big brothers? Are you coming back?” Nina sadly asks.

“Don't worry, we'll come to play with you again real soon?” Al reassures her.

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm” “Yeah” Both Ed and Al agree to her.

“What about you, Big sister? Will you come back?” Nina looks at Kindness.

“Of course I will,” Kindness draws an X where her heart is. “Cross my heart and hope to cry.”

As the three breakaway to separate paths until they meet, Kindness finds Jinzen, still waiting and leaning against the wall. “You're really not good at giving signals, had me waiting for a while. Anyways what was the situation?”

“Ah, my friend raised too much suspicion with his investigation of Tucker, that it made a very special mustache Brigadier General Grand, not so happy and kicked us out of the house.”

“Ah that sucks. But hey I know a place we can go.” Jinzen waves a finger and starts walking in the designated direction with Kindness following. “And- wait a minute, did you say the Brigadier General’s name was Grand? As in Basque Grand?”

_______________________________________________________________________

“Grand made you leave?” Chastity asks in a irritated tone, lifting and drinking the cup of steaming, hot tea placed in front of him by Jinzen. “Damn that power hungry jerk and his ridiculous mustache.”

Jinzen had taken Kindness to a mansion she and the other virtuemines were living in. It was owned by Humility, but she wasn’t home most of the time, including now. Now Kindness was sitting in the kitchen with Chastity, Jinzen and the newly acquainted, Temperance Lan-Teller. She was xingese, in her late 20’s with the black hair pulled back and onyx eyes, both features complementing her pale skin and short stature. Like Humility- and maybe Chastity- she’s married, a military guy specifically, despite not being human.

“You know,” Temperance shakes her hands of water before reaching up to the glass cabinet, without opening the glass door her hand phrases right through it and takes out a glass cup. She apparently had intangibility or the ability to phase through things. “He was one of the candidates of military personnel they wanted to put you under.”

“Glad they didn't.” Chastity comments before going back to his stitch work on the black mystery cloth. Kindness looks into her own cup at the hot and very red liquid that Jinzen gave her. It was still transparent, so maybe it was the hot juice or something. “This stuff..its very red, it looks like blood.”

“Oh shut up, it's completely safe, it is only tea.” Jinzen shotguns down her entire cup. The young girl looks at her then back down at her own cup, she still had her doubts but she slowly brings the cups up to her lips and drinks the red tea. It had a berry taste that she wanted to savor but couldn't. As soon as the tea hit her throat, the burning in her chest came back.

Kindness immediately clutches the spot. ‘Why’s it back? Why’s it back?! Nothing bad is happening here. Was it the tea? Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have trust Jinzen.’ She starts to hunch over.

“The burning isn't Jinzen or the tea’s doing. It’s simply your stone warning you. Don’t worry, we all get that burning sensation.” Chastity looks in the direction of the appearance of the blue portal, in which Diligence steps out and closing it behind him. “Hey people, I’m ho-oh,” Diligence looks at the hunched over Kindness. “Her stone acting up?”

“Yeah,” Chastity notices how much intense pain she was in, which isn’t normal. Yes, the burning can be unbearable at times, but not to the point where you can smell burning muscle. “Kindness, was the burning this bad before or after you arrived in Central?”

“After. I-It never burned this often back home, it’s been happening more now since I arrived in Central, especially at Tucker’s-” Kindness stops as the realization of why the stone could be burning this bad. “Tucker.”

“What about the creeper?” Jinzen asks before shotgunning another cup of red tea, in which she gets a nice mental message from Chastity. _‘Charity, you’re drinking red tea. Not taking body shots of vodka.’_

Kindness sits right back up. “Tucker. It has to do something with him. I’ve been getting vibes from his ever since I meet him, but the burning was subtle almost like...a warning.”

“Do you have an idea on why it could be warning you?” Diligence slips off his satchel before placing it on the table. “Usually figuring out possible reasons stops the burning.” “U-Um maybe ”

“Maybe it isn’t Tucker. Maybe it’s someone else. Sometimes the person who seems most obvious isn’t actually them.” Temperance suggests, tossing a cup to Diligence, the redhead flawlessly catches. Kindness mutters possibilities to herself. “Someone else?... Someone else like my mom or Patience, god forbid something happens to that little girl-” The burning seemed to tone down a notch at the words ‘little girl’, then it clicked into place. “Little girl...Nina.”

Kindness stands up abruptly and knocks into the table, causing her cup to knock over and red tea to spill over. Diligence quickly moves his satchel away, Chastity with his stitch work cloth, and Jinzen, well herself. “Dammit, Kindness! Really?!”

“I’m sorry! But I have to go follow a lead!” Kindness stammers out a quick apology before making haste through the house and out the door.

“I guess she got her answer.” Jinzen reaches for the teapot to pour herself another cup of tea but upon shaking it, she realizes it’s empty. Letting out a sigh before standing up with the teapot and walking out the kitchen. “I’m going down to the cellar.

“I’m surprised she didn’t ask much about her stone. Catch Di.” Temperance tosses Diligence a wet rag to wipe off the table. Chastity finishes off the stitch work and pulls the black cloth. “Trust me, deep in her mind, she wanted to ask more questions. But she found something more important to question about.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Getting back into Tucker's house wasn't an easy task and one that would get them in serious trouble with the military. After tying up the soldiers that guarded the house main entry and breaking into said house through the window. Breaking and entering and assaulting military officers? They were on the line of losing their certification and that they just got yesterday.

Kindness went searching the other rooms in the house to try and find Nina, Alexander, or, even better, both of them. Hopefully safe and unharmed. But after searching through every room, even the yard, there was no sign of them. _‘Come on, where could they be?_ ’ Kindness mentally asks herself, running a hand through her hair and taking out the hair tie, _‘I’ve checked everywhere except..’_ The hair tie slips onto her wrist with a *snap* at the revelation. “The basement..”

Reaching the basement and descending down the stairs, the caged chimeras seemed more anger and vicious than the last time, adding more to the dark and ominous tone and the sickening feel in her stomach. Kindness notices and walks to the only right turn hallway at the end of the basement, an area she hadn't explored before. It leads to a separate room, with the doors open Kindness could see Ed holding Tucker by his collar, Tucker looks like he got punched in the face. Al was standing by near this big white dog with long dark hair over its face. _‘What the hell is going on?’_ Kindness thinks walking further into the room. “I can’t Nina or-” “He used them Kind!” Ed cuts her off.  

“W-what?” The girl questions in confusion.

“Two years ago, Tucker created a talking chimera using his own wife, this time he used his own daughter and dog to create another one.” At the explanation, the burning in Kindness's chest completely, shocked in terror at the information.

“His own wife..”

_“But Tucker’s wife did experience a fate created by Tucker himself…”_

“Now..his own daughter..” Kindness slides down till she sitting on the back of her legs.

 _“..the same fate his daughter and dog will experience.”_ Why didn’t she pick up on it sooner? She should have picked up on it when he said Tucker’s wife experienced a fate created by Tucker himself. That should have been a clear that his wife was dead. And now...

“Big sister..” She felt the chimera’s mouth brush against her wrist, slightly tugging on the butterfly attachment to the hair tie around it, looking down her green eyes meet with sad white ones. “Big sister..came back.”

“Of course I did, remember? Cross my heart and hope to cry.” Kindness hesitantly reaches out and strokes the long brown hair before looking at Ed. “We can try and turn them back, can’t we?”

Ed slightly bends down to meet Nina’s height “Nina, I want you to bear with me, okay? This may hurt.” He positions his hands, ready to clap them

“What are you doing? You’re not planning to split them, are you? You don’t know how.” Al quickly interjects in panic, in fear this might worsen their situation.  Kindness looks down, he was right. They don’t know how to turn them back or even if they could turn them back.

“The chimera is a perfect transmutation, fused to the core. There’s no way to separate them now. Careful, You’ll just do to them what you did to your mother.” Ed's eyes widen at the comment, before staring at Nina and letting his hands fall. Nina tilts her head slightly before turning to Al.

“You promised you’d come play with me.”

Al kneels down to her height and pets her head  “I know.” Nina lets out a small whine before moving her head and moving it into Kindness lap.

“It hurts..”

“I know it does Nina, I know” Kindness strokes her head once again before stopping after hearing multiple footsteps enter the room. There stood Grand with at least four soldiers at the door.

“Assaulting army personnel? What the hell’s going on?” Grand demanding asks.

“Spare me, sir. He used his own daughter.” Ed responds

Grands held a more displeased look at the response.

_______________________________________________________________________

The soldiers escort a cuffed Tucker into the back of the military truck, also in the back was Nina locked up in a cage.

“Mister Tucker will face a court martial, and we’ll take the chimera with us. Naturally, you’re to tell no one what you saw tonight.” Grand orders the three

“What? You just want to cover it up! You knew about this!” Ed reaches and pulls at Grand’s coat, in which he’s held back by two soldiers. Al and Kindness step in to intervene but were also held back. “You want to make some half-beast arm-” Ed receives a punch to the gut, from Grand, cutting him off and fall to the ground. Grand holds up his arm and transmutes the fist back to normal.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir!” Both Al and Kindness go to Ed’s side, Al trying to help him up and Kindness deciding to speak out at Grand.

“Sir,” Grand stops walking to the face Kindness, “ You seriously aren’t gonna test on her, are you?! There still a living little girl in there!”

“Let me make this clear to you, Virgo. That’s not a little girl anymore, it’s a chimera and property of the military now. It’s not human, kinda like you.” Kindness freezes at that statement and watches as they continue walking to their vehicles. The burning feeling comes back into her chest

“Damn it, I’m not gonna let ‘em turn her into a test subject.” With that plan set, he claps his hands and places them on the ground, causing the road to create a wave and tip the truck over. The truck flips over and opens and Nina hops, she sniffs the ground a little.

“Nina!” Ed calls out to her, Nina turns to his direction before whining and take off running.

“I got her” Kindness quickly takes off after her, leaving no time for objections. Ed follows after her, holding his still pained stomach.

“Brother! Kind!”

_______________________________________________________________________

‘Okay so maybe we can’t turn her back, but maybe Chastity or Truth knows something. They have too!’ Kindness looked down a few darkened alleyways, thinking Nina was hiding in one. The burning continued to rise in her chest, but she didn’t let it bother me this time, they need to find Nina before the military or anyone else does. Fast.

“Big sister!” Kindness stops in her tracks at the call followed by a ‘woof’. She looks around before falling on the sight of Nina and Alexander, both as themselves prior to the transmutation. Nina was smiling and waving at the older girl, Alexander happily panting beside her.

“Nina?” Kindness makes her way over to the little girl and dog at the alleyway opening, in which she is greeted with a hug around the waist from Nina. “You came back, Big sister! Just like you promised. Cross your heart and hope to cry.”

“H-how?...” Nina looks up, giving a confused face and letting go of the older girl. Why did she seem confused? Was she not happy to see her?   

“What’s wrong, Big sister?”

“How is this…?” Kindness started looking around, as she though the answer will show in thin air. When her sight fallen into the alleyway, the burning in her chest stopped. Kindness slowly slid down onto the ground. “No, no, no...”

“Big sister? What's wrong?” Nina curiously asks. Alexander walks over to Kindness’s side and whines, nudging his mouth in her arm. Nina looks in the direction of Ed and Al running over, she smiles at more familiar faces. “Big sister, look! Big brothers are here!” She waves to get their attention but they seem to just ignore her, Nina smile falls, can they not see her?

“Kind! Get up! We don’t have time to be sitting around, we gotta find Nina!” Ed runs over to Kindness, her eyes still trained into the alleyway, the wall to be exact. Ed still looks around when Al runs over as well.

“You see her?”

“We’re too late…” At Kindness’s statement, Ed’s sights fall into the alleyway and squint slightly before his eyes widen at the sight Kindness was paying attention too.

On the alleyway walls, was the marking of a large dogs skeleton, the arms and legs were spread out, looking as if it exploded from the inside. Both Ed and Al walked further into the alleyway while Kindness stayed in the same spot. Kindness quickly stopped the little girl when she noticed her about to venture into the alleyway. “Nina..” She whispers, getting the little girl’s attention. “You um….you don’t need to see that.” Kindness gestures her head to the spot next to her, silently indicating Nina to sit next to her. Nina picks up on this and sits next to her.

“It’s like an alchemist deconstructed her. But who? I guess it doesn’t matter. Even if we did find them, it wouldn’t bring her back.”

“Sorry. Nina....” Nina looks up at Ed at the mentioned of her name. “I’m..”

“Brother, don’t.” Al stops him, at that Ed starts crying. At the same time, it started to rain, as if the sky was crying too. And honestly, Kindness wanted to cry along with them.

“Big sister, why is Big brother crying?”

“He’s crying..for you.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Je t’aime, mon petit papillon- I love you, my little butterfly.   
> 2\. Je t’aime aussi- I love you too.


End file.
